The Buffalo Bills were able to pull off a last-minute win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, but may have suffered a big loss to their secondary in doing so.
Bills safety Jordan Poyer was knocked out of the game with a hamstring injury, which had been bothering him throughout the season and caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season. While the team is expected to give a more detailed prognosis for Poyer as the week begins, they may need to turn to a veteran player who has been out since October with an injury of his own.
Next Man Up for the Bills
Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been getting closer to a return since suffering a pectoral injury in October and landing on injured reserve. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in late December that Hamlin had the potential to return this season, but didn’t know exact details of what it would take.
“Possibly, from what I understand,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “I’ve not gotten a recent update from our training staff as far as that goes.”
Hamlin was able to return to practice last week, which could put him in line to fill in if Poyer is unable to play. The Bills take on the Denver Broncos on Saturday, though the exact kickoff time will not be known until after Monday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.
Hamlin has played an important role at times, starting 14 games last season. He made just one tackle this year, playing primarily on special teams.
The Bills are already down one safety this season, placing Taylor Rapp on injured reserve. The duo of Poyer and Cole Bishop has been strong, and Bishop made the game-clinching interception in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars.
The Bills do have a bit of a disadvantage, getting only six days of rest before taking on the No. 1-seeded Broncos. Denver earned a bye week by virtue of earning the top seed in the AFC, giving them more rest against a banged-up Bills team.
More Help Could Be on the Way for the Bills
While the Bills are in danger of losing Poyer — as well as wide receiver Gabe Davis, who suffered a significant leg injury against the Jaguars — they could get another key player back. McDermott said in the week before the postseason began that defensive tackle Ed Oliver could be nearing a return.
“I would say potentially, but I don’t want to commit to it yet,” McDermott said of Oliver’s potential return, via SI.com.
McDermott said that Oliver still needed to reach some important milestones in his rehab, though wasn’t sure exactly what that would entail.
“There’s just a lot of things that need to happen between now and then,” McDermott said. “And to be honest with you, I’m not up to speed on all what those boxes are that need to get checked, but there’s a number of them. So, that’s not out of the question. I think the best thing to say is we’ll see.”
Bills May Need Veteran Safety to Return After Jordan Poyer Injury