On Monday, the Buffalo Bills released their first practice injury report of the season and after a summer of injuries and players missing practices, the first report looked good. The team had only two players who were not able to practice as tight end Quintin Morris was out due to a hamstring and offensive tackle Tommy Doyle missed due to a foot injury.
The good news though is that the Buffalo Bills had three other players on the injury report as they have recently missed some practices due to injuries. All three of these players were able to practice in full and look to be on track to play Thursday night against the Rams.
This group includes safety Jordan Poyer, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, and defensive tackle Tim Settle. All three players are expected to play big roles in the season opener but the importance of Jordan Poyer returning can’t be understated.
Poyer is one of the most important players on the Buffalo Bills defense and is coming off an All-Pro season last year. He suffered an elbow injury at the beginning of August during training camp and has been limited in his ability to practice to this point.
However, yesterday head coach Sean McDermott did say he would be surprised if Poyer was not able to play against the Rams. It appears like that is still the case and having him alongside Micah Hyde at the back of the defense will be a big boost for this secondary.
In addition to Poyer, the return of Isaiah McKenzie is important not only for offense but special teams. McKenzie has looked great this training camp stepping in as the team’s starting slot receiver and replacing Cole Beasley.
However, in addition to being the primary slot receiver, McKenzie is also listed as the starting kick returner on the team’s first depth chart. This was a role he had last year but lost midway through the season as he struggled with ball security.
This upcoming season could potentially be a breakout year for Isaiah McKenzie and it looks like he will be ready to go for the first game of the season.
Final 2022 regular season win-loss predictions for the Buffalo Bills
The NFL regular season is less than a week away and these are the final predictions for each game on the Buffalo Bills schedule.