Getty Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks out over the field during Buffalo's matchup with the Bills.
The Buffalo Bills are going to need all of their weapons when they enter the playoffs this weekend, but the status of wide receiver Cole Beasley is still up in the air heading into their Wild Card playoff matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Bills coach Sean McDermott met with the media for the first time this week via video conference call on Monday and stated that Beasley was still week to week heading into an important week of practice.
“He’s continuing to rehab and we’ll see where tomorrow leads us,” McDermott said during his video conference call. “He’s still considered week-to-week.”
Beasley hurt his knee towards the end of Buffalo’s matchup with the New England Patriots last Sunday and was seen hobbling towards the sideline. The Bills are hoping to get Beasley back at some point during their playoff run as he’s been one of the key pieces of their starting lineup.
During the 15 games he played in this season, Beasley finished with a career-high 967 yards on 82 receptions. He also finished the regular season with four touchdown catches and recorded five games with 100 or more receiving yards.
He set a season-high against the San Francisco 49ers when he caught nine passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in a 34-24 statement win on Monday Night Football.
While Beasley is important to the Bills offense it looks as though quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills will have plenty of weapons.
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McDermott Has Confidence in Isaiah McKenzie to Fill Beasley’s Role
Beasley has been a security blanket for Allen all season long out of the slot receiver role. He’s settled into soft zones, gotten open while Allen has scrambled, and he’s been another consistent option for a quarterback who is in the running for the NFL MVP.
The former Cowboys receiver is having one of the best seasons of his career, but Allen has plenty of receivers to throw to and McDermott believes that McKenzie could fill in that role seamlessly if Beasley is out for an extended period of time.
“He’s very capable, he had a great game yesterday and we have a lot of confidence in Isaiah,” McDermott said during his video conference call on Monday.
McKenzie had a breakout type game on Monday as he finished with six catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown.
He’s played a utility-type role all season long for the Bills as he’s both thrown a touchdown and caught five touchdowns this season. In total, McKenzie has caught 30 of his 34 targets for 282 yards, averaging 9.4 yards per catch. He’s also carried the ball 10 times.
Bills Sign Two Wide Receivers For Even More Depth
The Bills also signed wide receivers Kenny Stills and Tanner Gentry to their practice squad on Monday to give them even more depth moving forward into the postseason.
Stills is a veteran wide receiver who has played for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and most recently the Hoston Texans. During his eight-year NFL career Stills has caught 310 passes for 4,843 yards and 37 touchdowns.
While Stills brings NFL experience, Gentry brings familiarity. The former Wyoming wide receiver played with Josh Allen in Laramie and he was one of Allen’s favorite targets.
During his final season, when Allen was a redshirt sophomore, Gentry caught 72 passes for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns. Allen threw for 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns during that same season.
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