The Buffalo Bills could be at risk of missing a versatile member of their secondary and special teams units for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
The team made a late addition to the injury report on Tuesday, listing veteran safety as a limited participant in practice with an injured shoulder. Franklin may have suffered the injury in practice or at some point during the week, as he had been a full participant on Wednesday.
The move could deplete the team’s depth at a time when the roster depth chart is shuffling with the addition of a new safety expected to snag a starting role.
Sam Franklin Could Risk Missing Sunday’s Game
The Bills did not yet provide further details on Franklin’s injury, and won’t list a designation for their game against the Jets until after practice on Friday. But Franklin is a key member of the special teams units, playing in 78% of the special teams snaps this year.
The Bills have several players on the injury report, including starting right tackle Spencer Brown, who did not practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. There were five other players listed as limited, including cornerback Christian Benford, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and linemen Alec Anderson, Dion Dawkins, and Connor McGovern.
Safety Depth Chart Changing
Franklin has appeared in just one defensive snap this year, sitting at the bottom of the safety depth chart. He could remain there after the team added veteran safety Amani Hooker in a trade with the Tennessee Titans just before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
The Bills landed Hooker and a fifth-round pick in exchange for a second-round pick, bolstering a position group that had been among the weakest. The Bills also created another hole in the secondary when they cut ties with veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after the conclusion of his one-game suspension.
The team had turned to Damar Hamlin and practice-squad safety Geno Stone to play in place of Gardner-Johnson, but Hooker said he will be ready to play on Sunday against the Jets.
“At the end of the day, it’s football,” Hooker said Wednesday, via ESPN. “Every team runs Cover 4. Every team runs Cover 2 and Cover 3. So it’s really just about terminology and what they call different things and how they play certain looks.
“I’m going to play on Sunday. I’ll be ready to go.”
The Bills are heavy favorites against the Jets, giving them a chance to move to 7-1 and build on their lead over the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
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