Former Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Michael Danna was released by the Buffalo Bills on Monday, ending a brief and uneventful stint with the team just hours before their Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams, via the NFL transaction wire.

The Detroit-area native, who transferred to Michigan as a graduate student for the 2019 season, had signed a one-year deal with Buffalo in May after six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He made the Bills’ initial 53-man roster but appeared in only one game—Week 2 against the Detroit Lions—recording a single quarterback hit on nine defensive snaps.

The move freed a roster spot for cornerback Anthony Kendall amid secondary injuries.

Danna’s path to the NFL always carried a strong Michigan flavor.

A Warren De La Salle Collegiate standout who helped the Pilots win a Division 2 state title, he grew up watching Wolverines games with his father and called Michigan his dream school.

After an All-MAC first-team season at Central Michigan in 2018 (66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks), he entered the transfer portal and immediately chose Michigan over other options.

In his lone season in Ann Arbor, the 6-foot-2 edge rusher appeared in all 13 games with one start, posting 38 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble while contributing on a defensive line that included future NFL talents such as Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye.

Selected by the Chiefs in the fifth round (177th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Danna carved out a durable professional career in Kansas City.

Over 87 games (49 starts), he recorded 21.5 sacks, 194 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles while winning Super Bowls LVII and LVIII.

He became a reliable rotational and sometimes starting piece in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense before the Chiefs released him in February 2026 for salary-cap reasons.

Buffalo viewed him as veteran depth behind Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb in their new 3-4 scheme, but limited opportunities and the team’s secondary needs led to his release after just one appearance.

Now an unrestricted free agent at 28, Danna’s combination of playoff experience, Super Bowl pedigree, and proven pass-rush production should draw interest elsewhere.

For Michigan fans, his story remains a reminder of how a local product who fulfilled a childhood dream in the Big House translated that into a successful NFL run—even if his latest chapter in Buffalo proved short-lived.