The Buffalo Bills had a new name on their injury report and the depth at the defensive tackle position should start to be a concern. On Thursday, the Bills had starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver limited with a chest injury. He was not on the injury report on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen how serious the injury is but if Oliver is forced to miss this weekend’s game it will be a huge loss for this defense. The former first round pick has been playing great this year and in fact, was considered one of the most important players in the Buffalo Bills matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Oliver wasn’t the only defensive tackle on the injury report on Thursday as Star Lotulelei also was on the report. He was limited yesterday with a toe injury and didn’t practice at all on Thursday. When a player sees his participation go down as the week progresses is never a good sign for their chances of playing that week.
If Lotulelei is not able to play, the Buffalo Bills will likely turn to Eli Ankou and Brandin Bryant, two players who replaced Lotulelei in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints.
In addition to Lotulelei, Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney also saw his participation drop after not practicing on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday with a hip injury.
Efe Obada, Reggie Gilliam remains limited for the Buffalo Bills
The other two players on the injury report were defensive end Efe Obada and fullback Reggie Gilliam. Both players had their second consecutive limited practice as Obada is dealing with a hip injury and Gilliam is dealing with an ankle injury. Both players were listed as questionable before Week 13 and were inactive for the game against the New England Patriots on Monday night.