Bills Place Cordy Glenn On IR
Cordy Glenn has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. On Friday, the Bills placed the offensive tackle on injured reserve. 
Glenn remains under contract with the Bills, but it’s far from certain that he’ll be back in 2018. The team is likely frustrated with Glenn’s injuries that have kept him off the field for 15 games over the last two years. He’s also expensive with base salaries of $9.25MM, $7.25MM, and $7.25MM over the next three seasons, plus $2MM in roster bonuses each year. With rookie Dion Dawkins waiting in the wings, they have options.
“I’ve been impressed with the way [Dawkins] has come into the league,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said earlier this season (via Rick Kowalski of USA Today). “His mindset, his approach, he’s an aggressive player, he really fits our personality upfront – what we want to be all about upfront and as an offensive unit. He’s bounced around, [has] played different positions. That’s been a challenge, but he’s embraced that challenge the whole way.”
If the Bills release Glenn, they can save $4.85MM against the cap by cutting the 28-year-old. Alternatively, they can put him on the trade block. Glenn drew interest from teams at this year’s trade deadline, including the Seahawks, so there’s at least some market for him, despite his health concerns and hefty contract.
Tyrod Taylor To Start, If Healthy
- Head coach Sean McDermott says that Tyrod Taylor will be the Bills‘ starting quarterback this week, provided that his knee is healthy enough (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, backup Nathan Peterman is in the concussion protocol. The Bills finished out Sunday’s game with Joe Webb under center, so it will be at least a couple of days before they get some clarity on who their starting QB will be against Miami.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/6/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Buffalo Bills
- S Kelcie McCray (link)
Denver Broncos
- QB Wes Lunt; WRs Keyarris Garrett, Jordan Leslie, Josh Magee, Alonzo Moore; TEs Colin Jeter, Beau Sandland; G Darrell Greene (Twitter links)
Detroit Lions
- TEs Brandon Barnes, Marcus Lucas; CBs J.R. Nelson, Al-Hajj Shabazz (link)
Houston Texans
- WRs Mario Alford, C.J. Board; Ts Javarius Leamon, D.J. Tialavea (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Matt Hazel; CB Sheldon Price (link)
Miami Dolphins
- DE Larry Webster; LB Cassanova McKinzy; CB Taveze Calhoun (link)
New England Patriots
- LB/DE Cam Johnson (link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- WR Brandon Zylstra; C Leo Koloamatangi (link)
NFL Workout Updates: 12/5/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Buffalo Bills
- RB Roy Finch; S Duke Ihenacho (link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM); DB William Likely (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Denver Broncos
- QB Mitch Leidner (link via Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN); G Tre’ Jackson (link via Caplan); P Brock Miller (link)
Detroit Lions
- TE Ryan O’Malley (link via Caplan)
Green Bay Packers
- DT Stefan Charles; LB Max Valles (link via Caplan)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Jevoni Robinson; CBs Randall Evans, Demontre Hurst, Dexter McDougle, David Rivers (Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Matt Hazel; CBs Dexter McDougle, Cody Riggs (Twitter links)
New Orleans Saints
- LB Davis Tull (link via Nick Underhill of the Advocate)
Washington Redskins
- QB Stephen Morris; WRs Josh Huff, Daniel Williams; TEs Chris Bazile, Kent Taylor; Ts Josh James, Jeremiah Poutasi; DL Montori Hughes; LBs Carl Bradford, Cassanova McKinzy; CBs Senquez Golson, Jarnor Jones; S Rickey Jefferson, Jadar Johnson, Dean Marlowe; LSs Andrew East, Jeff Overbaugh (all Twitter links)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Terrence Magee
- Waived: DB Jeremy Boykins
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Cory Carter, S Dean Marlowe
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Will Pericak, TE Colin Thompson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Waived: WR Rannell Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: C Leo Koloamatangi
- Waived: S Stefan McClure
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Devin Lucien, CB Josh Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Andreas Knappe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Sammy Seamster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Isaiah Battle, WR Cyril Grayson, DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: TE Steve Donatell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Pete Robertson
- Waived: S Orion Stewart
Bills Place Matthews, Lawson On IR
The Bills are shutting down two of their starters for the rest of their seasons. Wide receiver Jordan Matthews and defensive end Shaq Lawson have been placed on injured reserve. 
To fill their spots, the Bills have promoted defensive end Cap Capi and wide receiver Brandon Reilly to the active roster.
Matthews was the Eagles’ leading receiver in 2016, but Philly spent much of the offseason looking to unload him. In August, they found a taker in the Bills, who shipped Sammy Watkins to the Rams on the same day. Buffalo gave up cornerback Ronald Darby to receive Matthews and a 2018 third-round pick.
Unfortunately, injuries have held Matthews back all year long. Matthews recovered from a broken thumb and fractured sternum, but he has been dealing with a knee issue in recent weeks.
In ten games, the wide receiver had just 25 catches for 282 yards and one touchdown. That pales in comparison to the 73 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns he had in 2016 and the career-high numbers (85 grabs, 997 yards, eight touchdowns) he put up in the previous year. Matthews is scheduled for free agency in March and he was hoping for a much better platform when he arrived in Buffalo.
Lawson, meanwhile, sprained his ankle last Sunday and had to be carted off of the field. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 draft has appeared in just 21 games in his first two NFL seasons.
Latest On Tyrod Taylor’s Injury
The Bills fell back to .500 this season after losing to the Pats this afternoon. Head coach Sean McDermott went back to his veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor a week ago with some success, but saw his now starter leave game action once again today because of an injury to his knee. However, Taylor appears to have avoided a major setback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Rapoport reports that Taylor has told people close to him that “he’s going to be OK”, but he will undergo tests tomorrow to know for certain that he’ll avoid major surgery.
Taylor, 28, has had a roller coaster type season so far. He’s led Buffalo to a 5-2 record, then was benched for his rookie backup, and now will have to deal with an injury for the rest of the regular season. Taylor’s numbers have been solid, but unspectacular this year, throwing for 12 touchdowns and three picks, while accumulating a QBR of 53.7.
The former sixth round pick restructured his contract this past offseason, which made the signal caller only under contract for the next two seasons. Originally the contract would have ran through 2021. Although, there is a potential out in the deal after this offseason for just a modest cap hit of $8.64MM, which for a QB is not too much money to move on from.
It seems likelier that the Bills will opt to release Taylor given what’s transpired this season. If that’s the case, this recent news indicates that he will likely go into free agency mostly healthy rather than needing the offseason to rehab a more long-term ailment.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Kevin Snyder
- Cut: LB Connor Harris
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Lorenzo Doss
- Waived: OL Will Pericak
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Alex Carter
- Waived: WR Mario Alford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DL Josh Tupou
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, DB Stefan McClure
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Jeremy Liggins
- Waived: G Ian Silberman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DE Francis Kallon
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Brooks Ellis, WR Jaelen Strong
- Waived: DL Marcus Hardison
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, DB Marcus Sayles
- Waived: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB De’Veon Smith
New England Patriots
- Waived: DT Mike Purcell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Kyle Coleman, LB Kache Palacio
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jake Lampman, T Givens Price, CB David Rivers
Kelvin Benjamin Has Torn Meniscus
Some confusion emerged about Kelvin Benjamin‘s status on Monday, but Sean McDermott belatedly confirmed a torn meniscus is sidelining his top wide receiver.
The first-year Bills coach first said Benjamin didn’t tear a meniscus but then clarified that is what the injury is, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. McDermott said he initially thought a question about a meniscus tear was regarding ligament damage, which the coach said has not occurred in Benjamin’s injured knee.
McDermott called Benjamin “day-to-day,” which seems slightly optimistic considering the injury happened eight days ago. This injury generally shelves players for weeks.
The Bills have not gotten much from their No. 1 pass-catcher after making a deadline-day deal to acquire him. Benjamin has missed two of the four games of his Bills tenure and has four catches as a Bill. Buffalo nonetheless beat the Chiefs in Kansas City on Sunday and remains in the thick of the AFC wild-card race.
Bills To Stick With Taylor
- Bills coach Sean McDermott says “Tyrod Taylor is “our quarterback for next week,” (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). On Sunday, Taylor led Buffalo to victory over Kansas City, a win that snapped a three-game losing streak. It’s no surprise that Taylor will remain at the helm given the W and Nathan Peterman‘s ugly five-interception game last week. If the Bills continue to win with Taylor, it could push the team to reverse course and stick with him for 2018. The Bills have the option to retain Taylor for 2018 with a reasonable $10MM salary and a $6MM roster bonus. If they want to go in a different direction, they can cut him before the bonus date in March and eat just $1MM.