The Bills will be without a key piece for tonight’s game against the Patriots. Buffalo has placed A.J. Klein on the reserve/COVID-19 list, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
Klein signed a three-year pact with the Bills back in 2020, and he started 11 of his 16 games during his first season in Buffalo, finishing with career-highs in tackles (75), sacks (five), and QB hits (nine). He also started one of his three playoff appearances. The 30-year-old has only started three of his 11 games this season, collecting 30 tackles.
The linebacker has been completed phased out of the defense in six appearances this year, but he’s seen significant roles in his other five appearances. As Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweets, tonight could have been one of those games where Klein saw time on defense, as the Bills could have relied on a three-linebacker look against the Patriots’ “fullback heavy approach.”
The Bills also promoted two players from the practice squad for tonight’s game (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter): nose tackle Eli Ankou and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris. Ankou has seen time in 29 career games, including an appearance with Buffalo in Week 12. Giles-Harris got into 14 games with the Jaguars between 2019 and 2020, and he’s spent the majority of the 2021 campaign on Buffalo’s practice squad.
Peterson is set for a quick promotion — he’ll likely be brought up to the varsity squad later this week. Foreman, meanwhile, will provide additional insurance at running back in the wake of Derrick Henry‘s injury. Henry’s foot trouble is expected to shelve him for a minimum of six weeks, but a late-season return remains possible.
The Titans have also released linebacker Avery Williamson from the 53-man roster while dropping running back Mekhi Sargent and defensive linemen Eli Ankou and Caraun Reid from the 16-man practice squad. That’ll give them enough room to accommodate the veteran tailbacks, though at least one of those players figures to return once Peterson is elevated to the active roster.