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Latest On Bills CB Dane Jackson

September 20th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Adam La Rose

Last night’s Titans-Bills game featured a frightening moment when Bills cornerback Dane Jackson collided with teammate Tremaine Edmunds and suffered a neck injury in the process. He was ultimately taken off the field by an ambulance, leading to concerns about his short- and long-term health status. Encouraging reports have since come out on that front, however. 

Last night, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted that the 25-year-old underwent a CT scan and X-Ray, adding that he experienced full movement in his lower extremities. Adding to the positive news, Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo reports that Jackson walked out of the hospital this morning, and there is a belief that a major injury has been avoided (video link).

A team update indicates that he will undergo further evaluation today to determine the length of his absence. That will become an important piece of information, given the fact the Buffalo is already without No. 1 corner Tre’Davious White. He remains on the reserve/PUP list, having been placed there last month; that move ensured that the All-Pro would be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season while he continues to recover from a torn ACL.

That made Jackson’s role even more important for a Bills secondary which faced questions at the CB spot entering the season. The former seventh-rounder logged a 97% snap share and recorded an interception in Week 1, and was in line to continue operating as a full-time starter until the injury. Especially until White returns, Buffalo will lean heavily on rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford.

In other injury news, Pro Bowl safety Micah Hyde also left the game with a neck injury, as detailed by ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. His status will be worth monitoring, as will that of Jackson, who very much appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario in his situation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/22

September 19th, 2022 at 6:37pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves, including some standard practice squad elevations for the two Monday Night Football games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

 

Brewer has completed a pretty unlikely path to an NFL game. Coming out of Coastal Carolina, the defensive lineman had to have surgery following an injury suffered in the Chanticleers’ bowl game. With no college all-star game and no NFL Combine, Brewer had only his Pro Day to show his ability. After going undrafted and unsigned as a college free agent, he earned a rookie mini camp tryout and got to stay for training camp as the lowest player on the depth chart. Brewer played more than any other defensive player in training camp and stayed healthy. He got cut, signed with the practice squad, and is now getting an opportunity to appear in his first NFL game.

The Cowboys had hoped to re-sign Ridgeway after waiving him. It doesn’t appear that Washington was the only team to keep him from returning to Dallas, as multiple teams reportedly submitted claims for the former fifth-round pick.

Bills’ Gabe Davis To Miss Week 2

September 19th, 2022 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills’ passing attack will see one of its top cogs miss Week 2. Gabe Davis is not expected to play Monday night, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

Davis suffered a noncontact ankle injury during Buffalo’s Saturday practice, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It will lead to an absence against the Titans. This is an early blow to a Bills team coming off a dominant season-opening win over the Rams. The Bills have officially declared Davis inactive.

After Buffalo let Emmanuel Sanders walk in free agency — months ahead of the veteran’s retirement — Davis moved into the team’s starting lineup opposite Stefon Diggs on the outside. The team also released Cole Beasley this offseason, leading to an Isaiah McKenzie–Jamison Crowder slot pairing. Both the inside receivers played extensively in Week 1. Each should be expected to play a bigger role tonight.

A former fourth-round pick, Davis has been a steady part of Buffalo’s passing game since his rookie season. The Central Florida alum surpassed 500 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, despite the presences of John Brown and then Sanders as starters. Davis delivered one of the great receiving games in NFL history in January, catching a playoff-record four touchdown passes in the Bills’ shootout loss to the Chiefs. That offered the Bills more than enough evidence to indicate the 6-foot-2 target was ready for a full-time role in 2022.

Depth-wise, Jake Kumerow and fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir round out Buffalo’s receiving corps. The rookie, who topped 1,100 receiving yards as a Boise State senior, did not dress for the Bills’ Los Angeles opener. Shakir should be expected to suit up Monday, with ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen indicating the team has confidence the rookie can contribute (Twitter link). Having famously received an Aaron Rodgers endorsement, Kumerow has been with the Bills since 2020. He has played mostly on special teams, having caught just three passes for 50 yards as a Bill.

Bills DT Ed Oliver Ruled Out For Week 2

September 17th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills will once again be on primetime in Week 2, but they will be missing a key member of their defensive front on Monday night. Per a team announcement, defensive tackle Ed Oliver has been ruled out. 

The 2019 first-rounder took on a starting role midway through his rookie campaign. Since then, he has been a steady presence on the Bills’ d-line, appearing in every contest so far in his career. With 12 sacks, he has shown the pass-rush ability which made him a top-10 pick in addition to his work against the run.

The latter skillset has been poorly graded by PFF, but Buffalo still generated little surprise when they decided to pick up his fifth-year option. As a result, Oliver will make $10.75MM in 2023 while the Bills look to keep their young, championship-caliber core intact.

While it remains to be seen how long the 24-year-old will be out, the fact that he will be absent against the Titans could prove significant. Derrick Henry represents the obvious focal point of Tennessee’s offense, especially since they traded away A.J. Brown in the offseason. The All-Pro running back ran for 82 yards in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Giants, but has shown himself capable of much more when healthy.

The Bills, meanwhile, put up the best defensive performance against the run during their win over the Rams last week. The defending champions were held to just 52 yards on the ground; a repeat of that could help lead the Bills to a 2-0 start on Monday night, but it will require a larger workload from the likes of Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle. 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/22

September 14th, 2022 at 6:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: OT Darrin Paulo

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: S Mike Brown

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bills Targeted Chandler Jones Amid Rams-Von Miller Connections

September 12th, 2022 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller started off his Bills tenure well, notching two sacks against the Rams and spearheading Buffalo’s seven-sack night. Miller chose the Bills over the Rams and Cowboys in free agency, but the rumors connecting the future Hall of Famer and the defending Super Bowl champions nearly moved the Bills in another direction.

Miller said this offseason he was 90% sure he would re-sign with the Rams. The Bills undoubtedly believed there was a good chance Miller would stay in Los Angeles, as Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes Buffalo was initially set to pursue Chandler Jones (subscription required).

The consensus belief Miller would stay in L.A. led to the Bills-Jones connection, per Rodrigue, who adds the Rams expected to retain Miller as well. The Bills became aware of a contract matter that ended up altering the Miller sweepstakes. Learning of the Rams’ proposal containing two guaranteed years, the Bills made the rare move of including a third guaranteed year. Miller said this summer that ended up pushing him to Buffalo.

Buffalo’s six-year, $120MM Miller contract includes a lower per-year average through 2024 than the Rams’ proposal carried, but Miller’s Bills deal has $10.7MM guaranteed in 2024. The Rams were unwilling to break a precedent in this chase, per Rodrigue, who notes this Rams regime has never offered a player a third guaranteed season. Los Angeles’ three-year Aaron Donald deal features a nonguaranteed 2024 season.

A loose Jones-Bills connection emerged ahead of free agency, though several other teams were interested. Once the legal tampering period began, however, the Raiders loomed for Jones. The former Patriots and Cardinals defender signed a three-year, $52.5MM accord hours before the 2022 league year began. Miller’s Bills pact became finalized hours later.

Jones, 32, is a year younger than Miller. But the two-time All-Pro appeared to be Buffalo’s backup plan here. The Bills had pursued a Miller trade before the 2021 season, though they were not connected to calling the Broncos on him before the in-season Rams swap. The Cardinals, who had Jones winding down his 2017 extension, and Cowboys were believed to be the Broncos’ other options there. Miller is signed through the 2027 season; he has said he will aim to play out the contract.

2022 Offseason In Review Series

September 10th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

This season will feature 12 new Week 1 starting quarterbacks, though the Jets’ decision is the result of an injury rather than a roster move. High-profile wide receivers also changed teams, igniting one of the biggest market shifts a single position has seen. The Offseason In Review series is now complete. Here are the PFR staff’s looks at how the 32 NFL teams assembled their 2022 rosters.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Bills Agree To Restructured Deal With S Jordan Poyer

September 10th, 2022 at 12:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

A new deal for Jordan Poyer has long been a talking point for the Bills this offseason. One has not yet been finalized, but the All-Pro safety could nevertheless see increased compensation this season. 

The Bills have agreed to a re-worked contract with Poyer, which will increase his total money available to be earned via incentives from $500K to $2MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said, “Jordan appreciates this goodwill gesture by the Bills as we continue to work for a contract extension.”

The 31-year-old has one season remaining on his current pact, and is due $6.7MM. That figure falls well short of what many other safeties of his caliber are making, especially after the position’s market shot upwards this offseason. That, and the fact that Poyer’s 2022 cap hit is over $10.7MM made it little surprise when he approached the team regarding a new deal which could be mutually beneficial.

Poyer has grown from a seventh-round pick to one of the league’s top safeties over the course of his Bills tenure. He failed to reach the 100-tackle mark last season for the first time in three years, but still filled the stat sheet with 93 stops, three sacks, five interceptions and nine pass breakups. He got off to a productive start during the team’s season opener, recording an interception.

His availability was in doubt for Thursday’s game, but a 97% snap share showed that Poyer has recovered from the hyperextended elbow which could have kept him sidelined. He, along with Micah Hyde, will play a major role in the Bills’ defensive success, especially while All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White is unavailable. Even if he is unable to land a new pact, Poyer could play his way into a more lucrative 2022.

Bills, TE Dawson Knox Agree On Extension

September 7th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Dawson Knox will not play out a contract year in 2022. The Bills are extending their top tight end, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The former third-round pick is signing a four-year deal to stay with the team that drafted him. Knox expressed his desire for a second Bills contract earlier this offseason. He will now be tied long-term with Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, the latter having also signed an extension this year. Knox’s deal is worth $53.6MM and includes $31MM guaranteed, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

This works out to a $13.4MM-per-year deal. That places Knox near the top of the tight end market but outside the top five. It checks in sixth at the position, coming in behind David Njoku‘s $13.7MM-AAV contract and Hunter Henry‘s 2020 Patriots agreement. Knox, 25, could have potentially positioned himself for a better deal as a 2023 free agent, but he made it clear earlier this year that was not a route he wanted to go.

“First and foremost, I want to be here. I mean, I bought a house here a few months ago, not because I want to be gone in a year,” Knox said this summer. The fourth-year pass catcher had approached the Bills about a new deal. It is not known how long negotiations have transpired, but the Bills have their breakthrough tight end signed for five more seasons now.

Diggs helped key Allen’s rise into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in 2020; last season, Knox aided the climb as well. The Ole Miss alum caught 49 passes for 587 yards and nine touchdowns to help the Bills to a second straight AFC East title. Knox tallied two more touchdown grabs in the playoffs.

Although Knox did not top 400 yards in either of his first two seasons, Wednesday morning’s extension indicates the Bills believe the 6-foot-4 target will be able to sustain his 2021 level of play for a while. Knox becomes the latest Ole Miss pass catcher from the 2019 draft class to sign an extension this offseason. A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf did so as well.

It certainly did not hurt Knox’s cause that he and Allen are close, and the MVP candidate’s top three targets are now each locked up beyond 2022. Gabe Davis‘ rookie deal runs through the 2023 season. The Bills also re-signed slot/gadget player Isaiah McKenzie this offseason. Jamison Crowder, a free agency pickup, remains in the mix as well.

Knox’s breakout being an indicator a promising career is ahead would check off a key box for a Bills franchise that has not seen too much from the tight end position throughout its modern history. Even going back throughout the team’s 62-season annals, the Bills have never seen a tight end produce an 800-yard year. Only one (Paul Costa in 1967) has surpassed 700. Efforts to establish long-term connections — such as the five-year, $38MM Charles Clay deal in 2015 — have not worked out. The Bills were mentioned as a Zach Ertz trade partner last year, but the team stuck with Knox, who will be locked in as Buffalo’s top tight end for the foreseeable future.

Emmanuel Sanders Announces Retirement

September 7th, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Sam Robinson

Emmanuel Sanders will not pursue a 13th NFL season. The former Steelers, Broncos, 49ers, Saints and Bills wide receiver announced his retirement Wednesday morning (video link).

While Sanders has been with four teams since the start of the 2019 season, each used the versatile veteran as a starter. The SMU alum helped the 49ers, Saints and Bills venture to the playoffs, most notably trekking to Super Bowl LIV with San Francisco. Sanders’ best statistical seasons came with the Broncos, whom he helped boost to a win in Super Bowl 50.

Sanders, 35, hinted at this possibility in February, after coming off another season as a regular starter. No known discussions took place about a second Sanders Bills contract, but the productive pass catcher was a 13-game starter for a Buffalo team that advanced to the divisional round. The hired gun’s final season produced 626 yards in 14 games. That marked his lowest output since an injury-shortened 2017 season. Sanders will walk away a three-time 1,000-yard receiver and a two-time Pro Bowler.

Faring well as an outside receiver and in the slot during a career that included a host of memorable moments, Sanders also succeeded on the contract front. The Broncos gave him two deals — a free agency accord in 2014 and an extension two years later — with the latter pact worth $33MM over three years. Upon being traded to San Francisco ahead of the 2019 deadline, Sanders made an impact as a key supporting-caster with the 49ers. That work led to a two-year, $16MM Saints contract in 2020. While the Saints bailed on the deal after one season, Sanders caught on with the Bills via a one-year, $6MM deal.

The Steelers used Sanders in a supporting role during his rookie contract but paid Antonio Brown in 2012. While Sanders remained on the WR2 tier for most of his career, the former third-round pick was one of the NFL’s top auxiliary targets for many years. His initial Broncos commitment — a three-year, $15MM agreement that came after the Chiefs nearly signed him — preceded a significant production spike. Replacing departed free agent Eric Decker in 2014, Sanders blew up for a career-high 1,404 receiving yards. He and longtime teammate Demaryius Thomas combined for more than 3,000 yards that year.

Although Peyton Manning‘s prime abruptly ended after that 2014 season, Sanders continued his midcareer boom as the five-time MVP declined in 2015. During Denver’s Super Bowl-winning year, Sanders posted 1,176 yards. As teams focused on Thomas in the playoffs, Sanders (230 receiving yards during the 2015 postseason) became Manning’s top chain-mover en route to the Broncos’ third championship. That production led to Sanders’ big-ticket extension on the eve of Denver’s 2016 opener. The Broncos had Sanders and Thomas each tied to eight-figure per-year deals from 2016-18, and while each again topped 1,000 yards despite Manning’s retirement giving way to Trevor Siemian‘s unexpected 2016 promotion, neither finished out their Broncos extensions.

Denver dealt Thomas at the 2018 deadline and moved Sanders in 2019. The Broncos collected third- and fourth-round picks for Sanders, who tallied 502 yards in 10 49ers games during that season’s stretch run. With Michael Thomas‘ run of injuries beginning in 2020, Sanders was Drew Brees‘ top target in the future Hall of Famer’s final season. Sanders will have retired playing with Manning, Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. It is obviously too early to declare Josh Allen a Hall of Fame-bound player, but Sanders’ career featured some rather high-profile quarterbacks.

Sanders, who played in Super Bowls with three different teams, leaves the game with 704 receptions (52nd all time), 9,245 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns.

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