The Bills are reaching into the practice squad for help in the secondary, and Te’Cory Couch is the name getting the call for Week 3.
Buffalo announced Saturday that the defensive back has been elevated for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium. He’s the only practice-squad player the Bills are bringing up for the matchup.
The timing lines up with the loss of Jordan Hancock, who was placed on injured reserve Friday after missing Thursday and Friday’s practices with a hamstring injury. Hancock will be out for at least the next four games, leaving Buffalo thinner in the defensive backfield.
That makes Couch’s elevation more than just a procedural move. The Bills have already been dealing with injuries in the secondary early this season, so adding another body gives them some needed depth against Los Angeles.
Couch, 27, is listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds and played his college ball at Miami. Buffalo first brought him in as an undrafted free agent in May 2024, and he’s stayed in the organization through a string of practice-squad stints and reserve/future deals.
His path with the team has been a winding one. He spent the 2024 season on Buffalo’s practice squad after being waived at the end of the preseason, then returned on a reserve/future contract after the season. He was back with the Bills during the 2025 offseason, dealt with a hamstring injury in the 2025 preseason, then returned to the practice squad in November before signing another reserve/future contract in January 2026.
Couch was also one of 17 players Buffalo signed to its 2026 practice squad on Aug. 31, and he stayed there through the first two weeks of the regular season before Saturday’s elevation.
Being active doesn’t guarantee a major role, though. How much Couch actually plays will depend on how the Bills deploy their available defensive backs and what adjustments defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard makes during the game.
Buffalo enters Sunday at 2-0 after beating the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions. The Chargers are 0-2, setting up a matchup between two teams that came into the season with AFC contender expectations.
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