ORCHARD PARK — When Jimmy Ciarlo sees the ball land in the hands of a kick returner, he sprints downfield like a heat-seeking missile. Ciarlo knows that if he doesn’t make a good enough impression, he may soon be sprinting into battle with a rifle.
Players who aren’t one of the 53 players selected for the final roster Tuesday or the 16 signed to the practice squad have to think about what’s coming next. Ciarlo already knows what comes after football and it’s inevitable.
Should Ciarlo not be on an NFL roster by the start of the season or shortly after, he will send his notice to the U.S. Army and likely report by the spring. A graduate of West Point, where he was a team captain, Ciarlo owes eight years of service — five active and three reserve — in his selected field as an infantryman, a common choice for football players who go through the academy.
Ciarlo isn’t dreading his service, it’s something that he wanted to do, picking Army over offers from Navy and Syracuse coming out of high school as a cornerback in New Jersey. But Ciarlo is hoping to stick with the Buffalo Bills as a 225-pound linebacker as long as he can, knowing his service is always a fallback option.
“This opportunity is something that only comes up once in a lifetime,” Ciarlo told GNN Sports. “As long as I can do this, I want to do it. Just take advantage of the opportunities that I have. And while the door’s still open, I’ll always still pursue it. Once that door’s closed, I’m completely ready to jump into what my Army career’s going to look like.”
Before the Bills called, Ciarlo was already preparing to call the Army. Training camp started and he wasn’t on a roster.
After going undrafted, Ciarlo signed with the Jets last year. But on his fourth play — all on special teams — of his first preseason game, Ciarlo felt his ACL blow, ending his season before it began.
The Jets kept Ciarlo on injured reserve, allowing him to rehab his knee with the team. But head coach Robert Saleh was fired five games into the season and eventually replaced by Aaron Glenn.
Ciarlo was released in May, just days before he was eventually cleared to return from injury. He worked out with the Patriots just before training camp, but it didn’t lead to a signing. Neither did a visit with the Giants.
“It really felt like all my hopes and dreams were gone,” Ciarlo said. “… I hadn’t had any defensive snaps yet, so with no film, torn ACL coming and OTAs were starting, I knew at that point it probably didn’t look too good for me. And unfortunately, that’s just the business aspect of football. … I was just looking for any other opportunity after that.”
But shortly after finishing his workout with the Giants, the Bills also requested a workout. Linebacker Baylon Spector just suffered a calf injury and the Bills were prepared to place him on waivers. Five days after visiting the Giants, Ciarlo was playing against them.
Ciarlo might be a longshot to make the 53-man roster, but he’s used to challenges. He likes to hear about college experiences from teammates because his was completely different than what any of them experienced.
In addition to meticulous uniform requirements, West Point cadets were subjected to a rigorous daily schedule, starting before 7 a.m. and ending at 11:30 p.m., when Taps echoed through campus, signaling for all cadets to be in their dormitories.
The whole experience is designed to be difficult and Ciarlo loved it. His great-grandfather, his uncles and his cousins were all in the military and Ciarlo felt it calling to him at a young age.
Many instructors at the academy are former students and they offer their experiences. Ciarlo idolized some of them and that’s how he landed on being an infantryman, along with a desire to maintain some of the things he loves about playing football.
“That’s really the branch I think matches the most with what I’ve done my whole life, which is a locker room-type environment, where it’s a tight-knit brotherhood,” Ciarlo said. “You’re doing a difficult thing day-in and day-out. You’re relying on each other, building those close connections. I didn’t think there was any other job in the military for me.”