So, the Buffalo Bills didn’t open the practice window for any of the three players eligible to come off of Injured Reserve (IR) this week. According to head coach Sean McDermott, there is no clear indication of when kicker Tyler Bass, offensive lineman Tylan Grable, or rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston will be ready to practice with the team.
They did, however, get defensive tackle Ed Oliver, linebacker Matt Milano, and right tackle Spencer Brown back to work on Wednesday. Oliver has been sidelined
since the middle of Week 2 when someone stepped on him at practice (no, he insists it was not a horse related accident).
Milano left the Bills’ Week 2 win over the New York Jets halfway through and has been sidelined with a pectoral injury since that point. Brown has only been out a week, and, technically, he did get a little practice in last Friday but was (as expected) among Buffalo’s inactives Sunday afternoon.
It’s going to be good news for quarterback Josh Allen, who was sacked three times in Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, and the Bills’ offense if Brown can work his way through practice this week and be in uniform on Sunday. The Saints had no problem disrupting Allen and sending him scrambling before his receivers even had time to get downfield. No doubt the Bills will be looking to fix that, and hopefully Brown is part of the solution, before they host the New England Patriots Sunday night.
On defense, tackling was a huge problem; containing the quarterback was a huge problem. Will Oliver’s return fix that? Only one way to find out. But, even if he isn’t in uniform on Sunday night, the Bills starting him back to practice this week is exactly why he wasn’t sent to IR. If he had been, he wouldn’t be eligible to begin working until next Monday. So, at the very least, he’s a week ahead of what could have been.
That brings us to linebacker Matt Milano. Milano, himself, is a man of few words, and when it comes to his health, Sean McDermott joins him in giving us the silent treatment. We never get much information, but we know it was a pectoral injury. We know it didn’t require surgery. We also know that, now, he’s needed back on the field.
Linebacker Dorian Williams was the team’s only DNP on Wednesday. The third-year linebacker is listed as having a knee injury. Williams has become a key part of the middle of Buffalo’s defense, having started all four games and recording 18 combined tackles and a pass defended. If neither Williams nor Milano are ready by game time, that leaves the Bills with Terrel Bernard, Joe Andreessen, and Shaq Thompson.
The Bills also have two rookies stashed on the practice squad: new fan favorite Jimmy Ciarlo and Keonta Jenkins. Jenkins has already been called up twice this season, so it would seem that the Bills might have to run with Ciarlo. It’s doubtful that’s going to do much to instill fear in Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye.
While McDermott gave us the names of all the above-listed players in his pre-practice media session, this afternoon there was one more name on the list. Rookie tight end Jackson Hawes was listed as limited with an ankle injury. Hawes has seen plenty of downs. While he’s been highly praised by Buffalo’s coaching staff for his blocking abilities, he has proven that he can also be a sure-handed target for Allen as well. He’s caught one pass in each game and had a touchdown in Week 3.
Joey Bosa had a limited day, but it was simply for vet rest — not for any ailments. Hopefully, we see a lot more practice out of all of the names on this list this week.
