The Buffalo Bills announced who the team has placed on the protected portion of their practice squad for their Week 10 meeting with the New York Jets on Sunday. The names come to us via the NFL’s transaction wire.
In 2020, the NFL implemented a new rule to help NFL teams deal with the outbreak of COVID-19. With the virus still causing the league to have a variety of safety protocols in place to prevent outbreaks, the protected portion of the practice squad is back.
These players are not allowed to be signed by another team the rest of this week. After game day, all are then fair game to be signed until the Bills name their protected players from their practice squad for the ensuing game.
This week, Buffalo opted to only protect two players (they can do so with four max) on their practice squad. Those two, who are the exact same three the team protected last week, are:
- CB Cam Lewis
- DB Josh Thomas
The decision to protect two instead of four is to leave some wiggle room. The Bills can add someone in their other spots later in the week, if they so choose to.
Leaving that space room is likely because of COVID-19 concerns.
Ahead of Week 9, Buffalo did not protect any players on their practice squad before facing the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was done because a few players tested positive for the virus.
Eventually two backup QBs, Mitchell Trubisky and Jake Fromm, were both put on the COVID-19 list by Buffalo.
Had the Bills used up all four spots and not left one open to protect QB Davis Webb so he could suit up, another team could’ve claimed him. Leaving those two spots unused allow Buffalo some flexibility.
Already this week, wide receiver Jake Kumerow joined the COVID-19 list as well. Now there is addition reason to keep some spots open in case COVID-19 cases spread in Buffalo’s locker room.
For more reference on the protected portion of the practice squad, here is our explanation of it from last season when it was introduced:
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the NFL’s owners and players came to an offseason agreement that we’ve seen the first installment of on Tuesday evening. Each team in the league can “protect” four players on their practice squad each week.
The idea is to provide some extra depth for teams in case of a COVID-19 outbreak in a locker room late in the week prior to a Sunday or Monday game. Those four can be called up to the active roster up until Sunday morning prior to kickoff every week.
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