The Buffalo Bills are about to face a real roster crunch.
Players from returning from injury and suspension qualifies as a good problem to have … but it’s still a problem, especially considering there are few obvious roster moves the team can make to fit them all.
“Yeah, all part of the job,” head coach Sean McDermott said. “You want as many of our starters back as possible. You want everyone as healthy as possible. You want them back, too. Obviously, we have limits on the active, and then, obviously, limits on game-day roster, as well.”
The Bills have dealt with some injuries since the start of the regular season, but only one of them so far, to punter Cameron Johnston, has necessitated a trip to injured reserve. Because of that, the space crunch when everyone is healthy will be very real.
“That’s part of the ebbs and flows of the season, in terms of injuries and getting players back, but also part of trying to figure out what our best 11 (starters) are, what our best 22, whatever it is,” McDermott said. “It’s trying to continue to adjust and tweak and get it to where we’re playing our best football.”
Oliver, linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) and right tackle Spencer Brown (calf) were limited on Wednesday. It was the first practice back for Oliver since Sept. 10, and the first for Milano since getting injured in the Week 2 game against the New York Jets.
Here is a look at who will be returning for the Bills soon, and what the corresponding move – or moves – could be.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver: He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday as he works his way back from an ankle injury that has kept him out of the past three games. Oliver was a force in Week 1 against Baltimore, so the defense will be eager to welcome him back when he’s healthy, possibly as soon as Sunday against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. In his absence, the Bills have promoted defensive tackle Zion Logue twice and Jordan Phillips once from the practice squad to the active roster. If Oliver comes back, there will be no need to do that, but a new wrinkle arose Thursday when rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders was added to the injury report as a limited participant because of a knee injury. If Sanders can’t play, Logue or Phillips likely would be called up. If both Oliver and Sanders can’t play, it is a guarantee Logue or Phillips will be called up, and maybe even both. Either way, when Oliver and Sanders are healthy, they will both be in the lineup.
Linebacker Matt Milano: Out since Week 2 with a pectoral injury suffered against the Jets, Milano was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday. He figures to get his starting job back as soon as he is able to return. As with Oliver, though, there is another new wrinkle to the situation at linebacker, as Milano’s replacement in the starting lineup, Dorian Williams, did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of a knee injury. It is not looking great for Williams’ chances of playing Sunday, which makes Milano’s return all that more important. If both can’t play, Shaq Thompson figures to start next to Terrel Bernard, with rookie linebacker Keonta Jenkins possibly in line for a call-up from the practice squad. The Bills also have two other linebackers on the practice squad, Jimmy Ciarlo and Otis Reese IV.
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Right tackle Spencer Brown: This one is simple. When Brown is ready to return from a one-game absence because of a calf injury, he’ll go back into the starting lineup, and Ryan Van Demark will head to the bench. Rookie offensive lineman Chase Lundt likely will again become a healthy inactive on game day, as he was the first three weeks of the season before Brown missed the game against the Saints.
Kicker Tyler Bass: He is one of three players currently on injured reserve who is now eligible to return to the active roster – rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston and offensive tackle Tylan Grable being the others. McDermott said this week that the Bills did not plan to open the return window for any of them, yet.
Cornerback Dorian Strong (neck) and defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (knee) were added to the Buffalo Bills’ injury report Thursday, along with veteran linebacker Dorian Williams.
The decision on Bass is both simple and complicated. When he is healthy, the obvious move is to replace current kicker Matt Prater. If only it were that simple, though. Prater has been lights out through four weeks for the Bills, converting 8 of 9 field goals and all 13 of his extra points. At 41, Prater doesn’t have Bass’ leg strength, but he did hit a 52-yard field goal against the Jets with plenty of room to spare. Most importantly, there is a sense of calm that exists when Prater comes out to kick. It doesn’t feel as though most fans are holding their breath and crossing their fingers that he will be able to convert the attempt, in the way some of them have in the past when Bass has gone through some struggles. At this point, there is no reason for the Bills to rush Bass back. If Prater suddenly goes cold, then the move would be easier to understand, but as for right now, it’s not an easy call.
Grable: The second-year veteran suffered a concussion during training camp. Once a player is in the league’s concussion protocol, coaches are very limited in what they can say about the player’s condition. Partly because of that, it remains to be seen how close Grable is to being back. When he was healthy last year as a rookie, he surpassed Van Demark as the swing tackle behind Dion Dawkins and Brown.
Hairston: The team’s first-round draft pick has been out since early in training camp with a sprained LCL ligament in his knee. Hairston has been working out off to the side with the team’s training staff during practice, a sign his return is getting closer. The Bills had a pair of cornerbacks as healthy inactives last game: Ja’Marcus Ingram and Brandon Codrington, whose primary responsibility on the roster is as a returner. It is possible that one of them could be released to make room for Hairston when he is ready. Another wrinkle is that fellow rookie cornerback Dorian Strong did not participate in practice Thursday because of a neck injury, so it will be important to get a full understanding of his condition before making any decision on Hairston or the other aforementioned players.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi: He has two more games to serve on his six-game NFL suspension, so the Bills have a bit more time here, but the decision ultimately will have to be made, and isn’t an easy one. The top four defensive tackles – Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Deone Walker and T.J. Sanders – are all locks to stay on the 53-man roster. That means cutting from a different position – or cutting Ogunjobi himself. Given that Sanders has made a minimal impact through the first four games, the greater likelihood is the team finds a way to add Ogunjobi to the 53-man roster and then gives him a jersey on game day while sitting Sanders as a healthy inactive, at least temporarily. Codrington and Ingram would be the two players most likely to be released.
Defensive end Michael Hoecht: This is where it gets really tricky for the Bills. The team already has one defensive end – rookie third-round draft pick Landon Jackson – who has been a healthy inactive in all four games. That has left Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Javon Solomon as the top four at the position. Given Jackson’s draft status, there is no chance the team is cutting him to make room for Hoecht after his six-game suspension has been served. Solomon is clearly No. 4 on the depth chart, but he has played 29% of the defensive snaps, and more importantly, 63% of the snaps on special teams. The Bills surely don’t want to cut him, either. That means the team might have to look to another position to make room for Hoecht, who figures to factor into the defensive game plan quite a bit. The team has six wide receivers on the 53-man roster, but it is not easy to see any of them being cut. Lundt was inactive the first three games before Brown got hurt, so he could be a cut candidate, although it’s risky exposing an offensive lineman to waivers if the team sees promise in him.
With two games to go before Ogunjobi and Hoecht are eligible to return, the possibility of an injury creating a roster spot exists. Obviously, the Bills are hoping that does not happen. If it doesn’t and the team stays healthy, some tough calls await.
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Jay Skurski
News Sports Reporter
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