The Buffalo Bills have ruled out four players ahead of Sunday’s road game against the Houston Texans, including star defensive tackle Ed Oliver and top receiver Khalil Shakir.
Oliver suffered a hamstring injury during a training drill on Thursday during practice. He exited practice to get the injury looked at, and it’s severe enough that he won’t play against the Texans in his hometown.
On Friday, Bills coach Sean McDermott said that he hasn’t talked to the medical staff about the severity of Oliver’s hamstring injury, but there’s always a fear of multiple weeks with this type of injury.
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Shakir suffered an ankle injury in the Bills’ loss to the Ravens last week but could play through it and finish the game. He hasn’t been able to practice this week and won’t play against Houston.
McDermott said that he’s thankful the Bills have veteran Curtis Samuel, who will likely see an uptick in snaps with Shakir out of the lineup.
“He’s a very important player to us, a very good player, and a guy that Josh has a lot of confidence in and rapport built up with,” McDermott said. “So we’ll miss (Shakir), no doubt. But again, another opportunity for somebody to step up.”
The Bills signed Samuel to a three-year deal worth $24 million in the offseason, but he hasn’t settled into a prominent role in the offense. Buffalo has several receivers who can play in the slot, Shakir’s primary position, where Samuel has played most of his career. The Bills will likely elevate a player off of their practice squad. Veteran K.J. Hamler and second-year undrafted receiver Tyrell Shavers are the most likely candidates.
Buffalo signed rookie defensive tackle Zion Logue off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad on Tuesday, and he is expected to be active against the Texans because of Oliver’s injury. The Bills have also ruled out veteran defensive tackle Austin Johnson, meaning practice squad defensive tackle Eli Ankou may also be elevated to help pitch in.
According to McDermott, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has had his eyes on Logue for some time. If he does suit up for Buffalo on Sunday, it’ll be the first NFL game for the Georgia product.
“He’s new to our system,” McDermott said. “When (Oliver’s injury) happened yesterday, we gathered as quickly as a defensive staff (with) d-line coaches, myself, Bobby (Babich), and tried to manage the practice so that the players we thought we would move into those positions were getting the valuable reps that they needed to get, at least in yesterday’s practice.”
The Bills will also be without veteran safety Taylor Rapp. McDermott said that rookie Cole Bishop is expected to get his first NFL start. Linebackers Terrel Bernard (pec) and Taron Johnson (forearm) have been limited in practice all week and are considered questionable to play against Houston. McDermott said Bernard is a bit ahead of Johnson but wants to see how both do in Friday’s practice and then take it from there.