Getty Trainers check on Buffalo Bills cornerback Levi Wallace after an injury suffered against the Miami Dolphins.
The depth of the Buffalo Bills secondary could be getting an early test.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team, Buffalo had a pair of cornerbacks landing on the injury report. Though the Bills have had one of the league’s best defenses through two weeks, the secondary is seen as one of the thinnest position groups, and could be even more so on Sunday.
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Bills Cornerbacks Hurting
In the team’s final injury report, published on September 24, there were two cornerbacks listed as questionable with knee injuries — Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson. Both were able to fully practice on Friday, but Dan Lavoie of SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings noted that it could be a worrying sign for the Bills.
“In this case, both players did manage to practice fully on Friday,” Lavoie wrote. “That’s a positive sign that they’ll be available on Sunday. However, it does spotlight the lack of depth at the position. With Tre’Davious White and Taron Johnson already on the field, the only other cornerback on the roster is Siran Neal. Neal, by the way, did not practice on Friday for personal reasons.”
Lavoie added that the Bills have three cornerbacks on the practice squad, but the lack of movement there could be seen as a good sign for Buffalo. The team elected not to elevate Cam Lewis, Rachad Wildgoose and Olijah Griffin for Sunday’s game, indicating that Wallace and Jackson could be good to go.
As Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, there had been some concern about Wallace after he went down with cramps in the second quarter of last week’s 35-0 win over the Miami Dolphins and did not return. The concern grew after reports that the Bills were working out free agent cornerback Quinton Dunbar early in the week, but Bills head coach Sean McDermott stressed that the team was just being cautious in keeping Wallace out of the game.
“We didn’t need to have him back out there at the time,” McDermott said in a press conference. “We just wanted to play it on the safe side.”
Bills Getting Healthy
After losing a few key players to injury to start the season — with defensive lineman Star Lotulelei missing the home-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a lingering injury for running back Zack Moss contributing to his being inactive that week — the Bills now appear to be getting healthier. The team has already said that Lotulelei will be good to play against Washington, along with wide receiver Gabriel Davis, who has been bothered by an ankle injury. Defensive end Efe Obada (calf) and safety Micah Hyde (neck) will also be playing on Sunday.
Levi Wallace is questionable for Sunday.
#WSHvsBUF injury report: t.co/iNiel0UuTI
McDermott hinted that the defense will likely need to be at full strength against Washington and quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who was pressed into action after an injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick. McDermott noted that Heinicke performed well in the playoffs last season, throwing for 306 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
“You look at the Tampa Bay game, the wild card game against the eventual world champions, and he’s within a score there in the fourth quarter of winning,” McDermott said, via the Democrat & Chronicle. “He can make all the throws. He’s mobile, he’ll be a challenge.”
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