The Bills signed Barkley to a one-year contract Wednesday, Chris Brown of the team's official site reports.
Barkley will give the Bills some healthy depth at quarterback with Josh Allen (elbow) and Derek Anderson (concussion) both battling injuries. The Bills have indicated that Nathan Peterman will likely serve as their starting quarterback for Sunday's matchup with the Bears, while Allen has been ruled out for another week. If Anderson is unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol by the weekend, Barkley would step in as the backup to Peterman, despite having only a brief period to familiarize himself with the team's playbook. Barkley will be a candidate for release once one or both of Allen and Anderson are back to full strength.