Getty Tanner Gentry #87 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball after making a catch before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium on August 28, 2021.
Josh Allen may finally get the chance to complete an NFL pass to his college teammate after an injury-struck Buffalo Bills team elevated wide receiver Tanner Gentry from the practice squad.
The Bills were down to four healthy wide receivers going into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, and brought up Gentry from the practice squad to provide some reinforcement. The elevation capped off a wild 12-hour period for Gentry, helping get him out of a storm-struck Buffalo and giving him the chance for his first catch as a member of the Bills.
Gentry Gets the Nod for Bills
The Bills announced on November 19 that Gentry had been elevated to the active roster for Sunday’s game. This is his second time joining the active roster this season, as he also appeared in a 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers but had no receptions in the game.
Though he has been in the league since the Chicago Bears signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2017, Gentry has appeared in just five games over the course of his career. Nearly all of his action came in the 2017 season, when he appeared in four games for the Bears, including three starts. He made three catches for a total of 35 yards that season.
Tanner Gentry SZN #BillsMafia
Gentry and Allen are friends off the field, having played together for two seasons at the University of Wyoming. Gentry had a monster season with Allen in 2016, when Allen was a junior and in his first season as a starter with the Cowboys. Gentry was Allen’s favorite receiver that season, racking up 72 receptions for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Gentry’s big opportunity comes after a harrowing day. As Syracuse.com’s Ryan Talbot noted, Gentry’s home lost power in the blizzard that crippled the Buffalo area and forced Sunday’s game to be moved from Orchard Park to Detroit’s Ford Field.
“Tanner Gentry’s day is certainly turning around,” Talbot tweeted. “The #Bills WR had no power for about 12 hours last night/this morning. Now, he’s one of two players being elevated vs. the #Browns.”
Bills Receiving Corps Hit by Injuries
Gentry could have a chance to play a significant role for a Bills team that has been hit hard by injuries. The receiving depth had already taken a hit when veteran Jamison Crowder broke his ankle earlier this season, and was hit again this week when receiver and special teams ace Jake Kumerow was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
#Bills place Jake Kumerow on injured reserve:
The Bills have struggled on offense over the course of a two-game losing streak, with Allen throwing two interceptions in each game and losing a critical fumble late in last week’s loss that the Vikings recovered in the endzone for the go-ahead touchdown.
After the game, Allen put the blame on himself.
“Losing sucks. It sucks this way even more. Horrendous second half,” Allen said, via a report from The Associated Press. “It comes down to my shoulders and my shoulders only. Making the right decisions, making the right throws. This one’s going to suck, watching it.”