During his weekly appearance on WGR 550 radio, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that although he was designated to return to practice this week, wide receiver John Brown will not play against the Denver Broncos on Saturday when the Bills head west.
Per McDermott: John Brown has practiced but will NOT play Saturday at DEN
Brown suffered a knee/ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10 after he made a catch and came down awkwardly on his right leg while being contested by Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. He was placed on the injured reserve list after Buffalo’s bye week and has missed the last three games.
The Bills have 21 days from Tuesday to activate Brown from the injured reserve list, per NFL rules, or he will be reverted back to the injured reserve list for the remainder of the season.
The Bills will have a long week after their matchup with Denver on Saturday as they play the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football the following week. That being said, Brown will have extra time to get back into the swing of things to prepare for the stretch run in the playoffs.
So far this season, Brown has made 29 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns. He also set a new career-high for receiving yards last year when he caught 72 passes for 1,060 yards. But while Brown has been out, the Buffalo offense hasn’t missed a beat as the Bills have scored 26 points or more in the past three games and Josh Allen has thrown 770 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rookie wide receiver Gabe Davis has been big for the Bills in Brown’s absence. He’s caught nine passes for 166 yards and has a touchdown in each game that Brown has missed in the past three weeks.
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Taron Johnson Still in Concussion Protocol
After making the biggest defensive play of the game on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McDermott reported on WGR 550 that Taron Johnson is still in the concussion protocol as of Thursday.
Just before halftime on Sunday, Johnson jumped a route to pick off Ben Roethlisberger and he returned it 51 yards for Buffalo’s first defensive touchdown since 2017 when Jordan Poyer picked off Tom Brady in their second matchup of the season.
As the Bills head to Denver, Johnson could be a key piece of the defense with the weapons that Denver has. Johnson is currently third on the team in tackles with 81 and has deflected five passes and also forced a fumble earlier this year.
Tremaine Edmunds Still Limited in Practice
Earlier this week, Edmunds was surprisingly placed on the injury report with a foot designation and was limited in practice. That designation remained the same when the injury report was released on Wednesday.
He was limited, along with tight end Lee Smith who had a knee designation from their Steelers game. It’s unclear whether their designations will affect their game status for Saturday but After Edmunds played through a shoulder injury earlier this season a foot injury shouldn’t keep him out. Expect McDermott and the organization to clear that up before Saturday.
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Sean McDermott Reveals John Brown’s Game Status for Saturday