Before Friday’s practice, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott ruled out linebacker Dorian Williams and rookie cornerback Dorian Strong for Sunday night’s game with the New England Patriots.
Williams
has been dealing with a knee injury he suffered last Sunday and hasn’t practiced at all this week. The concern here is that the Bills don’t have an abundance of linebackers.
Matt Milano has been practicing this week but in a limited fashion and he’s officially listed as questionable for Sunday. This is promising for the Bills, who have been without the nine-year veteran since he suffered a pectoral injury halfway through the Week 2 win over the New York Jets. This is the first week that Milano has practiced, so hopefully he can play Sunday night.
Strong practiced on Wednesday and was then a DNP with a neck injury ever since. There’s no information as to how or when the rookie cornerback (who has been splitting time with cornerback Tre’Davious White opposite top starting cornerback Christian Benford all season) was injured.
Neck injuries are a serious business and with no practice and now being ruled out, there’s a very real possibility that the rookie could miss some substantial playing time. With Strong down, that leaves the Bills with just Ja’Marcus Ingram and Brandon Codrington as depth cornerbacks on the active roster. Veteran cornerback Dane Jackson is available for a practice squad elevation.
With Williams and Strong being ruled out and Milano listed as questionable, Buffalo’s defense has some holes to fill. However, they have a couple more at defensive tackle, as Ed Oliver (who suffered an ankle injury during a Week 2 practice) and rookie T.J. Sanders (who – according to McDermott – has been dealing with a knee injury for some time) are also both listed as questionable for the game.
Veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was activated from the practice squad last week to help fill in some gaps, but according to members of the media who have been present at Bills practices, he’s been absent this week. If either, or both, Oliver or Sanders can’t suit up, we could see a third, and final, elevation for Zion Logue.
On offense, the Bills have just starting right tackle Spencer Brown with an injury designation. The fifth-year tackle was inactive last week as he dealt with an ankle injury. It’s fair to say that the offensive line was far from their best with Brown on the sidelines. If Brown can’t play, we may get a chance to see rookie offensive lineman Chase Lundt.
The good news for Buffalo is that rookie tight end Jackson Hawes had a full day of practice after being limited Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury. Hawes, who has lived up to the hype around his blocking abilities, has proven to be a viable weapon in the passing game as he has a catch in every game and recorded a touchdown in Week 3.
Teams have until 90 minutes before kickoff to announce their game day inactives. With the night game, that gives some of the guys listed as questionable extra time to test out how they’re feeling on Sunday. We will know for sure who’s ready to go for the Bills by 6:50 p.m. EDT.
