Did the Bills Activate Jordan Gay to the 53-Man Roster?
By Ryan Brennan
After the news broke that Seantrel Henderson will in fact be suspended for four games this season, a roster spot opened up on the Bills’ 53-man roster. Did Jordan Gay take it?
I’m sorry, but this will most likely anger a lot of you Buffalo Bills‘ fans.
First off, it was recently announced that right tackle Seantrel Henderson will be facing his four-game suspension handed down by the NFL after his appeal was unsuccessful.
It was a controversial move by the NFL, noting that the marijuana he tested positive for was most likely taken medically to ease the effects of his battle with Crohn’s disease. It’ll surely hurt the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line for the start of the season, but it was kind of expected that the right side of that line would be fairly weak.
All in all, at least we know Henderson will be more than healthy come Week 5.
With Seantrel Henderson suspended, it opened up a roster spot for the Bills. Before I say who they awarded the spot to, imagine all of the players we could have used that roster spot for. All of the free agents we had to choose from, possibly a more experienced right tackle than Jordan Mills?
The team activated kicker Jordan Gay — a familiar face to Bills’ fans — from the team’s practice squad to the 53-man roster. He will suit up vs. the Baltimore Ravens.
For those of you who are disappointed, I completely feel your pain. However, for those of you who are wondering why this was a questionable move, it’s actually pretty simple.
The need for two kickers on your roster has highly deteriorated the past few seasons. For some teams, their main kicker is comfortable being the kickoff specialist as well. However, some teams find it necessary to have two kickers — one for kickoffs and one for field goals. Now, the Bills have both Dan Carpenter and Jordan Gay activated.
When the touchback rule brought the ball to the 20-yard line, the Bills had a strong use for Gay on their roster as the kickoff specialist. With his ability to pretty much kick a touchback every time he kicked-off, it eliminated the threat of giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown.
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However, with a rule change this season, touchbacks will now bring the ball to the 25-yard line — which has basically made touchbacks something a team wants to avoid. With this new rule, the Bills don’t really need Gay as the team’s KOS or else the opposing team will be starting at the 25 every time we kick off.
As of right now, I guess the Bills figured he was roster-worthy. At least Jordan Gay is grateful for the opportunity:
"“I’m blessed. I have the opportunity to stick around and pick up where we left off last year.”"
The Bills’ regular season kicks off on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Hopefully, you’re as ready as we are.
Do you think the Bills could’ve gone a better route than activating Jordan Gay to the 53-man roster? Leave your comments below!