A Bills team that is looking to win their fourth-straight division title lost a crucial piece of their defense when veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. With Christian Benford and Taron Johnson already starting so far this season, the team will be relying on backups to step up in White’s absence.
Last year’s first-round pick Kaiir Elam has been a healthy-scratch for the first four games of the season but may be forced into action now that it’s necessary. Dane Jackson was the one who saw increased snaps upon White’s departure last weekend. Siran Neal and Cameron Lewis also have an opportunity to contribute. Head coach Sean McDermott, while maintaining that the Bills have faith in the guys already in their building, didn’t rule out the potential of a free agent signing to help reinforce the group, according to The Athletic’s Tim Graham.
If Buffalo is interested in veteran options, former Broncos cornerback Chris Harris is available after coming off the practice squad for the Saints to start four games last season. Veteran free agent Casey Hayward is also available after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. Either option would provide veteran, starting experience for the Bills in place of White.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC East, starting down in Dade County:
- Dolphins rookie running back Devon Achane has exploded onto the scene in the past two weeks. After only registering two touches over the first two games of the season for Miami, Achane has totaled 353 total yards and six total touchdowns in the last two games alone. Needless to say, the Dolphins are looking to get the ball in Achane’s hands more often, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The only issue is that starting running back Raheem Mostert has been impressive in his own right so far this year, and the team also likes Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed, who are each trying to shake off injuries. Regardless, it’s going to be tough to keep Achane off the field.
- The Jets have been managing second-year running back Breece Hall on a limited snap count so far this season as he comes back to full strength from last year’s season-ending ACL tear. According to Schefter, head coach Robert Saleh informed the media that Hall will not be playing on a limited workload any longer. Hall’s early effectiveness, combined with the initial disappointment of the Dalvin Cook-addition, has prompted the team to increase the role of the player it views as the team’s primary rusher.
- We knew that the serious injury to Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon would majorly impact his ability to make an impression for his next contract. Thanks to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, we have some details on how it affects him now, as well. His recent restructure presented the opportunity for Judon to make up to $3MM in incentives. Since he won’t be able to play for 75 percent of the team’s defense snaps and will likely miss the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro selection, Judon is likely to miss out on $2MM of those incentives. Additionally, he’ll be out approximately $766K in per game active roster bonuses that he wouldn’t qualify for over the rest of the year, if he can’t make a return this season.