Week 9 is shaping up with a few tight end situations worth watching, and the names at the center of it are Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry and Jake Ferguson.
Kincaid has been on Buffalo’s injury report for a second straight week because of a chest issue, but his practice trend points in the right direction. He opened the week with a limited session on Thursday, then moved to full participation on Friday. The Bills still have their final injury report to submit on Saturday, but that full practice is a strong sign he’s on track to suit up.
Ferguson, meanwhile, looks like the toughest call of the group - and not in a good way. He left the Week 8 loss to the Arizona Cardinals early after hurting his ankle, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that he’s dealing with a low-ankle sprain.
Ferguson was listed questionable after getting in a limited practice on Friday, but that was his only work of the week after sitting out the previous two days. With that kind of workload, he appears to be trending toward the wrong side of questionable, and the expectation is that he sits.
Henry’s situation in New England also carries real doubt. The Patriots tight end picked up a foot injury in the Week 8 win over the Miami Dolphins and missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before returning for a limited session Friday. That was enough to land him the questionable tag, but his light practice load makes him look more likely to miss than play.
Before those three, the most notable tight end ruled out for Week 9 is Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson. On the other side of the ledger, Browns tight end Harold Fannin was removed from the injury report on Friday and cleared to go.
In Other News...
Bills Face Growing Tackle Concern Ahead Of Monday Night
The Bills injury report brought a little good news on the second day of practice, with Ty Johnson back on the field and Dalton Kincaid upgraded to full participation. But the bigger concern remains up front, where Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson are still sidelined and Spencer Brown is working in a limited capacity as Buffalo prepares for Monday night.
For a team trying to keep its offense steady in a prime-time matchup, the tackle situation is the one to watch most closely. The Bills have some movement elsewhere on the report, but the status of their edge protection will loom largest as the week goes on, especially with Minnesota also dealing with a notable injury update of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen And Bills Line Face A Brutal Test In Minnesota
Spencer Brown knows the Bills are walking into one of the leagues toughest defensive environments in Minnesota, where Brian Flores has built a pressure-heavy scheme that forces quarterbacks to process quickly and the offensive line to hold up under constant stress. The Vikings have the NFLs top scoring defense, and their aggressive blitz approach makes this a particularly sharp test for Buffalos protection plan and for Josh Allens ability to stay composed when plays break down around him.
For the Bills, the challenge is not just identifying where the rush is coming from, but surviving long enough to let Allen do what he does best when structure starts to disappear. His mobility gives Buffalo a possible answer to the Vikings pressure, and Browns comments made clear that the line knows how demanding the assignment will be, even before the first snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Trade Deadline Search Puts One Defensive Need In Focus
With the trade deadline still ahead, Brandon Beane is already doing the kind of due diligence that has become part of Buffalos annual roster maintenance. NFL insiders Albert Breer and Jonathan Jones have reported the Bills have been checking on defensive back help, with cornerbacks and safeties at the center of the search as the front office looks to strengthen the back end of the defense.
The timing has only sharpened the focus on that part of the roster, especially after the release of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Even before that move, Buffalo had been working the phones for help in the secondary, and safety in particular has emerged as a clear area the Bills want to address if the right deal surfaces. [Read more 🡒]