Bills Designate Damar Hamlin For Return; Maxwell Hairston Out For Wild-Card Game
Damar Hamlin has missed much of this season, landing on IR in early October. The Bills, though, could have the veteran safety back for their wild-card matchup against the Jaguars.
Buffalo designated Hamlin for return Wednesday, giving him a chance for activation ahead of the Jacksonville trip. Hamlin has been out since Week 5 with a pectoral injury. The Bills also placed Jordan Phillips on IR, per a team announcement. That move will knock the veteran defensive tackle out for the season. Buffalo also signed cornerback Dane Jackson from the practice squad and signed cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. and quarterback Shane Buechele to the P-squad.
Asked to start in place of Micah Hyde for most of the 2022 season, Hamlin suffered a life-threatening injury in a Week 17 game against the Bengals that ended up being cancelled. Hamlin made an inspirational recovery for 2023, though he played sparingly — in a development that strangely cost him the Comeback Player of the Year award. Last year, however, the Bills turned to Hamlin as a full-time starter. This included starts in all three Buffalo playoff games. The Bills then re-signed him on a one-year, $2MM deal.
That money checks in south of the starter tier, and the Bills turned to Cole Bishop to replace him opening this season. Bishop has teamed with the re-signed Jordan Poyer at safety for most of the season. Poyer has missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury but was a limited participant in Buffalo’s Wednesday practice. The team also has Darnell Savage and Sam Franklin on its roster as insurance. Hamlin would add to that insurance contingent if activated. The Bills are in fine shape for injury activations, holding six entering the wild-card round.
Phillips is out with a foot injury sustained in Week 18. The recurring Bills supporting-caster played in 11 games this season, serving mostly as D-tackle depth during his third Buffalo stint. The Jackson move comes as cornerback Maxwell Hairston has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, per BuffaloBills.com’s Alec White.
Hairston’s injury is a troubling development for the Bills, who have seen cornerback injuries go a long way toward swinging their recent postseason matchups with the Chiefs. Christian Benford missed the 2023 divisional-round game against Kansas City and suffered a concussion on the Ravens’ last-ditch onside-kick attempt to close the 2024 divisional-round matchup with the Ravens. Benford later went out early in last year’s AFC championship game.
Hairston has now suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ blowout win over the Jets. While Benford is healthy, the Bills will be without their first-round pick after playing much of the season without him.
An LCL sprain kept Hairston out for two months; he has since played 56% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. The Bills will need to lean on Tre’Davious White opposite Benford. Jackson brings a proven backup-level player, albeit one who has been on the practice squad this season and only saw action in three regular-season games. Hairston is not on IR, keeping him in play for a possible divisional-round game. But it is obviously not a good sign when a player is ruled out the Wednesday before a game.
Bills Sign Jordan Poyer, Jordan Phillips To Active Roster; Ed Oliver Placed On IR
Gearing up for a key showdown with the Chiefs on Sunday, the Bills announced that they’ve signed safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the practice squad to the active roster.
The team also placed defensive tackle Ed Oliver on injured reserve, a formality after he suffered a biceps tear in a win over the Panthers last Sunday. Oliver, who will undergo surgery, could return in the event of “a lengthy playoff run,” per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
A Bill from 2017-23 and half of a top-tier safety tandem with Micah Hyde for a large portion of that stretch, Poyer spent last season with AFC East rival Miami after Buffalo released him. While Poyer made 16 starts for the Dolphins in 2024, he went without an interception for the second year in a row and was unable to land a deal until the Bills added him to their practice squad in late August.
In an ideal situation, the Bills may not have had to use the 34-year-old Poyer much (if at all) this season. They entered the campaign with Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop as their starting safeties. Damar Hamlin was in the fold as a prominent depth piece.
Bishop, the team leader in defensive snaps, is still standing. However, Rapp went on IR ahead of Week 8 with a nagging knee injury, and Hamlin has been on shelf since Oct. 11 with a pectoral issue. Head coach Sean McDermott didn’t seem optimistic that Hamlin would return this year when the team placed him on IR.
With Rapp and Hamlin down, Poyer played in his second game of the season in Week 8. The former first-team All-Pro logged 45 defensive snaps and five tackles in a 40-9 victory in Carolina. Barring the acquisition of a safety by the Nov. 4 trade deadline, which is reportedly a possibility, the Bills will go forward with Poyer and Bishop as their primary options at the position. Cam Lewis and Jordan Hancock are around in depth roles.
Phillips, now in his third stint with the Bills, has already received three standard gameday elevations from the practice squad this season. That’s the maximum number, meaning the Bills had no choice but to sign Phillips to their active roster in order to use him again. The 33-year-old played 23 defensive snaps against the Panthers and could see more action with injuries eating away at the interior of Buffalo’s line.
Along with Oliver, the Bills are dealing with the long-term absence of second-round rookie T.J. Sanders, who has been on IR with a knee injury since Oct. 11. Meanwhile, veteran starter DaQuan Jones has missed back-to-back games with a calf injury. It’s unclear whether Jones will play against the Chiefs. If not, Phillips will join fourth-round rookie Deone Walker and Larry Ogunjobi as the Bills’ top D-tackle options for Week 9.
Oliver missed four games earlier this year with an ankle injury, but his biceps tear is a massive shot to a Buffalo defense that hasn’t been able to contain opposing ground attacks in 2025. The Bills rank 31st in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed (150.3). That may be something for general manager Brandon Beane to address ahead of the deadline.
Bills Activate Maxwell Hairston From IR
Bills first-round rookie Maxwell Hairston is finally set for his NFL debut. The team announced that it has activated the cornerback from injured reserve.
The 30th overall pick from Kentucky, Hairston entered the summer competing with Tre’Davious White for the Bills’ No. 2 corner job opposite Christian Benford. Hairston suffered an LCL injury early in training camp, though, leading to an IR placement for him and a starting role for White.
At 30 years old and having dealt with two major injuries in recent seasons (a torn ACL and an Achilles tear), White has struggled to regain his past form in 2025. Benford has also failed to impress after landing a four-year, $69MM extension last offseason.
To make matters worse for the Bills, they’ve been thin at boundary corner behind Benford and White. Another one of their rookies, sixth-rounder Dorian Strong, went on IR with a neck injury after Week 4. He may not return this season. With Strong and Hairston out, the Bills have been down to Ja’Marcus Ingram – a healthy inactive multiple times in 2025 – as their third outside corner in recent weeks.
The addition of Hairston will provide some much-needed playmaking ability and speed to the Bills’ secondary. The team’s corners have gone without an interception during a 4-2 start in which the defense has picked off just two passes. Hairston racked up five INTs in 2023, though he totaled just one over seven games in an injury-limited year last season. The 5-foot-11, 183-pounder then ran the fastest 40-yard dash time at the combine (4.28), which no doubt contributed to the Bills’ decision to draft him.
After missing the Bills’ first six games, Hairston returned to practice this past Monday. The Bills would have had 21 days to activate him, but head coach Sean McDermott will bring him into the fold much quicker than that. Hairston will debut Sunday against the Panthers as the Bills try to snap a two-game losing streak.
Safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips will join Hairston on Buffalo’s active roster in Week 8. The team, which is banged up at both positions, elevated the pair of Jordans from the practice squad on Saturday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/25
Here are the latest moves from around the NFL,including practice squad elevations for all four teams playing on Monday Night Football:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Keith Taylor, WR Deven Thompkins
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: S Jordan Poyer, DT Jordan Phillips
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DT Jonathan Ford, K Jake Moody
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OT Thayer Munford Jr.
Denver Broncos
- Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: S J.T. Gray
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): S Reuben Lowery
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Jason Brownlee
New England Patriots
- Waived from IR: G Layden Robinson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/retired list: DE Za’Darius Smith (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: OL Isaac Alarcon
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: WR Ja’Corey Brooks, WR Tay Martin
The Bears elevated Moody to kick in their Monday night matchup with the Commanders with Cairo Santos sidelined by a quad injury.
Bills To Place T.J. Sanders, Damar Hamlin On IR
The Bills will place defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and safety Damar Hamlin on injured reserve, head coach Sean McDermott announced (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). Sanders will undergo knee surgery, while Hamlin is dealing with a pectoral injury. Both players will miss at least four games. It’s more likely that Sanders will return than Hamlin this year, McDermott said.
The Bills moved up in last spring’s draft to grab Sanders with the 41st overall pick. The former South Carolina standout has gotten off to a slow start in the NFL. Over four games and 111 defensive snaps, Sanders has picked up two tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks his performance 115th among 120 qualifying defensive tackles.
Although Sanders has struggled in the early going, losing him is an unwelcome hit to the Bills’ depth. They’ve already gone without their best defensive tackle, Ed Oliver, in every game since his tremendous Week 1 effort in a win over the Ravens. Oliver has been down with an ankle injury over the past few weeks, but he could return against the Falcons on Monday night.
If Oliver comes back this week, he’ll comprise the Bills’ top two at DT alongside DaQuan Jones. Rookie fourth-rounder Deone Walker, who has played well, is also in the mix. The Bills have Zion Logue, Jordan Phillips, and Phidarian Mathis on their practice squad. Offseason free agent addition Larry Ogunjobi will be eligible to return from a six-game PED suspension after Buffalo’s Week 7 bye.
Logue has already received three standard gameday elevations this year, meaning the Bills will have to sign him to their active roster if they want to bring him back for a fourth game. Phillips and Mathis have gotten one call-up apiece, and the former is a candidate for a permanent roster spot in the wake of Sanders’ injury, according to Buscaglia.
Hamlin was a 14-game starter who logged 98% of defensive snaps in 2024, leading the Bills to re-sign him to a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason. His playing time has significantly decreased this year, though. Hamlin has taken a backseat to second-year safety Cole Bishop and worked on a mere 4.2% of defensive snaps. It’s possible that the Bills will add former All-Pro and current practice squad safety Jordan Poyer to their roster to take Hamlin’s place, Buscaglia reports.
Poyer, now 34, was consistently one of Buffalo’s most valuable defenders during his previous stint with them from 2017-23. After the Bills released him in March 2024, Poyer hooked on with the division-rival Dolphins and made 16 starts for them last season. On the heels of his second straight interception-less year, Poyer went without a deal until the Bills signed him to their practice squad in late August. A month and a half later, Poyer may be on his way back to their active roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/25
Here are Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DT Jordan Phillips
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: OLB Boogie Basham, G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- Signed from practice squad: LB Carl Jones
- Elevated: TE Stephen Carlson, DT Jonathan Ford
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: WR Jalen Cropper
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: WR Jackson Meeks
- Placed on IR: S Daniel Thomas
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: G Lecitus Smith
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Myles Bryant, CB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: CB Mike Hilton, G Josh Sills
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris, WR Austin Trammell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: CB Kevin Knowles, DT Brodric Martin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: TE Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Carter Runyon
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: T Foster Sarell, RB Kimani Vidal
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Darius Harris, C Brenden Jaimes
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: DE Fadil Diggs, LB Nephi Sewell
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: RB Trey Sermon
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Eli Apple
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Curtis Jacobs, RB Jordan Mims
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: CB Antonio Hamilton, WR Tay Martin
With Colts cornerback Kenny Moore presumed to potentially miss a few weeks, the recent signee, Hilton, will get his opportunity to supplement the team’s secondary. He may be able to earn an official spot on the 53-man roster with an impactful game. Similarly, Cropper may be able to get into his first NFL game since going undrafted in 2023 as he gets elevated to a receiving corps that will sorely miss CeeDee Lamb.
Morris is getting called up for the third time for Jacksonville. If the Jaguars intend for him to appear in another game after this week, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots moves are noted below.
Buffalo Bills
Signed to practice squad:
- QB Shane Buechele, LB Jimmy Ciarlo, OL Travis Clayton, G Dan Feeney, S Sam Franklin, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Stephen Gosnell, OL Kendrick Green, CB Daequan Hardy, CB Dane Jackson, LB Keonta Jenkins, TE Keleki Latu, DL Zion Logue, DT Jordan Phillips, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Released from IR via injury settlement:
- RB Darrynton Evans, WR Grant Dubose
Miami Dolphins
Waived:
- S Jordan Colbert
Signed to practice squad:
- CB BJ Adams, CB Cornell Armstrong, LB Quinton Bell, OL Braeden Daniels, TE Greg Dulcich, WR AJ Henning, DT Alex Huntley, LB Derrick McLendon, OL Josh Priebe, TE Hayden Rucci, S John Saunders, WR Theo Wease
New England Patriots
Claimed:
- DB Charles Woods (from Rams)
Waived:
- WR Javon Baker
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Miles Battle, G Mehki Butler, G Jack Conley, CB Brandon Crossley, TE C.J. Dippre, RB Terrell Jennings, WR John Jiles, DE Truman Jones, C Alec Lindstrom, DB Kobee Minor, DT David Olajiga, LB Cam Riley, DT Jahvaree Ritzie, TE Gee Scott, LB Bradyn Swinson, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Jets
Claimed:
- LB Cam Jones (from Chiefs), T Esa Pole (from Chiefs), TE Jelani Woods (from Colts)
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
- S Dean Clark, DB Jordan Clark, QB Brady Cook, WR Tyler Johnson, OL Kohl Levao, K Harrison Mevis, DT Payton Page, WR Jamaal Pritchett, LB Jackson Sirmon, WR Quentin Skinner, LB Boog Smith, WR Brandon Smith, DL Eric Watts, OL Leander Wiegand
Bills Set 53-Man Roster
The Bills have set their initial 53-man roster after moving on from 25 players today. The team announced the following moves:
Released:
- WR Deon Cain
- OL Dan Feeney
- S Darrick Forrest
- OL Kendrick Green
- CB Dane Jackson
- DT Jordan Phillips
- WR Laviska Shenault
Waived:
- OL Jacob Bayer
- LB Jimmy Ciarlo
- OL Travis Clayton
- TE Zach Davidson
- OL Mike Edwards
- RB Frank Gore Jr.
- WR Stephen Gosnell
- OL Richard Gouraige
- WR K.J. Hamler
- CB Daequan Hardy
- DT Marcus Harris
- LB Keonta Jenkins
- TE Keleki Latu
- DT Zion Logue
- DT Casey Rogers
- DE Paris Shand
- LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
- WR Kristian Wilkerson
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- CB Maxwell Hairston
- OL Tylan Grable
Placed on reserve/suspended:
- DE Michael Hoeht
- DT Larry Ogunjobi
We learned yesterday that quarterbacks Mike White and Shane Buechele also weren’t going to make the squad.
The Bills moved on from a handful of veterans as they set their first 53-man roster of the season. Among the cuts were offensive lineman Dan Feeney, who has 120 games of experience, and cornerback Dane Jackson, who got into 52 games for the Bills to begin his career. Jackson spent the 2024 campaign in Carolina, where he started three of his nine appearances.
A handful of these cut players have already been connected to Buffalo’s practice squad, assuming they pass through waivers unclaimed. This grouping includes Stephen Gosnell (per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News), Travis Clayton (per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN), Keleki Latu (per Ryan Talbot of Syracuse.com), and Kendrick Green (per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic).
Bills To Reunite With DT Jordan Phillips
Jordan Phillips is set to once again find himself in Buffalo. The veteran defensive tackle visited the Bills today, and a deal is expected. 
[RELATED: Reviewing Bills’ Offseason]
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports Phillips is set to sign with Buffalo later this week. That will presumably mean a practice squad agreement, in which case this deal will not be official until at least Wednesday. In any event, a fourth Bills stint is on tap in this case.
Phillips has spent all or part of the 2018, ’19, ’22, ’23 and ’24 campaigns in Buffalo. The 32-year-old is also a veteran of time with the Dolphins, Cardinals and Cowboys, but his most common playing situation has been as a member of the Bills. Phillips has made 129 regular season appearances in the NFL; nearly half of those have come with Buffalo.
In recent years, the former second-rounder has seen a notable drop in playing time. A notable uptick in workload should of course not be expected considering his time spent in free agency this offseason. Nevertheless, Phillips will give the Bills a familiar and highly experienced depth option along the defensive line. That unit saw draft additions in the second (T.J. Sanders) and fourth (Deone Walker) rounds, and Sanders in particular has drawn strong reviews for his work in training camp.
In part as a result of that development, veteran Larry Ogunjobi has emerged as a cut candidate. The free agent signing is facing a six-game PED suspension to begin the campaign, something which – coupled with an underwhelming showing this summer – could leave him on the outside looking in. It will be interesting to see if the Phillips reunion has an impact on Ogunjobi’s status.
The Bills entered Sunday with a league-low $1.87MM in cap space. That figure will change considerably in the coming days, but regardless of where it lands after roster cuts Phillips will not require a notable investment to return to Buffalo.
DT Jordan Phillips Re-Signs With Bills
Two Bills defensive tackle reunions will take place Wednesday. Jordan Phillips joined Quinton Jefferson in being released Tuesday, and the recent Cowboys defender will make his return to Buffalo as well.
Not long after coming to terms with Jefferson, the Bills announced they have brought back Phillips. Both are back on one-year deals. The Phillips addition comes after his Instagram post indicated (h/t AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill) he would welcome a return to Buffalo. This will be the 10th-year D-lineman’s third stint with the team. This agreement will also mark a third 2024 employer for Phillips, who has moved from the Giants to the Cowboys back to the Bills.
The Bills rostered Phillips from 2018-19 and again from 2022-23, first claiming him off waivers from the Dolphins and then coming to terms on reunion No. 1 after a Cardinals release. This agreement comes after the Cowboys moved Phillips out of their IR-return window and into free agency. Dallas had acquired Phillips via trade from the Giants but only used him in two games.
Phillips and Jefferson filled two open roster spots, one of which created by the team placing D-end Dawuane Smoot on IR on Tuesday. The AFC East leaders now roster six DTs, joining a group already housing Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Austin Johnson and Zion Logue. The Bills also hope rookie DT DeWayne Carter will come off IR at some point this season, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes. The Bills placed the fourth-round rookie on IR nearly two weeks ago.
This DT infusion comes as the Bills completed the season’s first half 17th in run defense. Although Buffalo sits eighth in points allowed, its now-Bobby Babich-run defense has seen some issues develop in the run game. Phillips, 32, stepped in as Jones’ primary replacement last season and should now be expected to play a depth role behind Oliver and Jones upon returning. Phillips has played just 34 defensive snaps this season, going on IR with a wrist injury in Dallas.
Phillips’ 2023 season ended due to a dislocated wrist, capping a nine-start campaign. He signed a one-year, $1.75MM Giants deal, putting off retirement, only to be traded within the NFC East in August. Phillips disputed the Cowboys’ decision to place him on IR in September, claiming his wrist was not damaged. Having been back at Cowboys practice for two weeks now, Phillips appears ready to join Jefferson — a healthy scratch over the past four Browns games — as well-rested cogs familiar with Sean McDermott‘s scheme.
The Bills saw Phillips lead their 2019 playoff team in sacks, with 9.5, but that turned out to be an outlier season. He has been more of a run stopper since, not eclipsing three sacks in a season during the 2020s. Jefferson operates as more of an interior rusher, and the Bills will cover multiple bases with their Wednesday reunions.