The Buffalo Bills will be shuffling around their wide receiver group for Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Head coach Joe Brady announced on Saturday that rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell would be moving to the lineup for the first time this season. The fourth-round pick has been a healthy scratch through the first four games, but now has a chance to make his mark and fill in for an injured veteran.
Bills Turning to Skyler Bell
The Bills shared their final injury report on Saturday, ruling out receiver Joshua Palmer after a late injury. Brady said the injury will give Bell the chance to appear in his first NFL game.
“Bills HC Joe Brady: ‘Skyler (Bell) is going to be up’ on game day Monday,” noted The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia in a post on X.
The Bills have taken some criticism for their slow approach to Bell’s development. SI.com’s John Green noted in August that the team wasn’t giving the rookie many first-team reps in training camp.
“Instead, it’s been backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele throwing the rookie receiver the ‘rock’ as both players are currently in a battle for the right to be Buffalo’s former 2024 league MVP’s backup this season,” Green wrote.
Green noted that Bell was still showing strong signs of progress, despite the lack of work with starter Josh Allen.
“And, with that being the case, it has seemingly hindered Bell’s development as he no longer looks like the odds-on favorite to win a top rotational spot on the wide receiver depth chart this fall in his first professional season,” Green wrote.
Bills Need Improvements on Offense
Though the Bills have had few problems scoring through the first four game, the offense has struggled in other aspects. The team had five total turnovers in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and Allen threw a critical fourth-quarter interception in last week’s loss to the New England Patriots.
Buscaglia noted in The Athletic that the offensive line has also struggled.
“Some of the Bills’ pitfalls against the Patriots weren’t discussed as much as others,” Buscaglia wrote. “The offensive line’s disappointing showing was one of the sneakier subplots from that game. While right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and right tackle Spencer Brown weren’t as dominant as usual, they still played well compared to the left side. Left tackle Dion Dawkins struggled as a pass protector for much of the game, as the Patriots got him off balance throughout.”
Bills HC Joe Brady Makes Announcement on Rookie Wide Receiver