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Bills Get Key Defensive Player Back After Personal Absence From Team

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Getty Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Star Lotulelei celebrates a play in a game against the Miami Dolphins.

After a one-week personal absence from the team, the Buffalo Bills‘ biggest run-stopper will be back on the field for Sunday’s critical game.

Defensive lineman Star Lotulelei missed Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots due to unspecified personal reasons, but coach Sean McDermott said he is now back with the team. The Bills seized control of the AFC East with the December 26 win over the Patriots, and need wins in their final games against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets to hold onto it. Getting Lotulelei could provide a major boost for that final stretch.

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Lotulelei Returns

The Bills never gave details on why Lotulelei did not travel with the team to New England, but it was deemed a personal matter and he appears to be healthy heading into Sunday’s game against the Falcons. Harrison Phillips started in place of Lotulelei in the win over the Patriots.

The Bills have gotten used to playing without Lotulelei over the last two seasons. He opted out of the 2020 season due to fears of COVID-19, and has missed time this season for various injuries and illness. He was sidelined for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a calf injury, missed the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a toe injury, and missed another three games while being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

McDermott spoke about the difficult stretch for Lotulelei, saying on December 10 that it was growing frustrating for the veteran lineman.

“I know he’s frustrated and sometimes you have those seasons where things come up more than other seasons. Not only as an individual but as a team,” McDermott said, via Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. “I think some of that’s what he’s dealing with. We just want him to get as healthy as he can as soon as he can.”

Bills Get More Help

Along with the return of Lotulelei, the Bills will also benefit this week from a mid-season rule change by the NFL. After the CDC changed guidelines for COVID-19 infections to allow people to leave isolation after five days under certain conditions, the NFL cut its own 10-day isolation policy for unvaccinated players. That allowed the Bills to get receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis back on Wednesday, days sooner than expected. Beasley was set to come off the reserve list in time for Sunday’s game, but Davis would have been forced to miss it under the previous rules.

The returns return the Bills roster to the most complete state in weeks, with several key starters back in the lineup. As the team nears the final stretch, McDermott had shared some praise for the veteran players who have stepped up.

“Leadership is, some of it I think is innate, and that thread of DNA is in someone but the other side of it is I believe it’s developed,” McDermott said. “Being in a leadership role for some people is new and you get better at it hopefully with experience, age and everything. So, I just feel like overall our leadership group has continued to grow just like I do quite honestly, and we do as a team. I think an important part of developing players, is developing the leadership of the team as well. And I’ve been very impressed over the last few weeks by the way those guys have led.”

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Defensive lineman Star Lotulelei returned to the Buffalo Bills after a one-game personal absence.