"Next Man Up" mentality will be tested in Week 3 with Bills' linebacker group

The Buffalo Bills are a contender 2-0 team through the first two weeks of the season, unlike sometimes who have been lucky to get to 2-0. The Bills have been battle tested, having to comeback down by 14 points in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Then they showed that they can dominate a game from start to finish and not allow any room for a potential comeback.

However, they have paid the price unfortunately in doing so when it comes to injuries. Since training camp, the Bills have become a vulnerable team when it comes to overall health. They once again lost their All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano for most of the season after tearing his bicep. This opened the door of opportunity for Dorian Williams to step in to make his presence known.

Then in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo’s other star linebacker Terrel Bernard went out of the game with a pectoral injury that will now keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks. The Bills are going into a rough part of their schedule, thin at the linebacker position. It’s safe to say that Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector were not expected to be starting as a duo in 2024, but here we are.

Spector came into Buffalo’s Week 2 game when Bernard went out and performed pretty well. He was tied with Damar Hamlin and Dorian Williams for the most total tackles, with 10 of them. Now that he will be the foreseeable starter for the Bills, he will need to not only step up in production but even show a little bit of leadership.

The "next man up mentality" will be tested from here on out for the Buffalo Bills

Sean McDermott has done a great job showing that no matter who is on the field for the Bills. However, Buffalo is starting a tough stretch of their schedule and them not being at 100% health is going to be very difficult for them.

While Spector will take on the starting role, Buffalo may also want to consider calling up Joe Andreessen to the active roster in Week 3 and beyond. With all of the injuries that Buffalo is dealing with, they cannot afford to be short-handed due not enough availability.