The Bills (7-2) were dealt a curveball on Saturday ahead of facing the Cardinals (5-3) in Week 10.
Actually, it was more of a 12-6 or knuckle curve if we’re going to get deep into the baseball terms, but like hitting one of those pitches, the team had to be meticulous to deal with the situation.
On Saturday, the Bills announced that they would be without four players, in total, because of a positive COVID-19 test result in their locker room. Cornerback Josh Norman tested positive for the virus. Due to safety precautions via contact tracing, other players who also will not suit up includes tight end Tyler Kroft, cornerback Levi Wallace and safety Dean Marlowe.
That’s a big chunk of players that did not travel to Arizona. So in order to deal with the situation, five players were called up from the practice squad by the Bills on Saturday.
Those five players are:
- LB Darron Lee
- CB Daryl Worley
- WR Jake Kumerow
- S Josh Thomas
- CB Dane Jackson
Lee was a former first-round pick of the Jets who recently signed with the Bills, as did Worley, who played for the Panthers in 2016 when Bills head coach Sean McDermott was still employed there.
Kumerow and Thomas were already called up from the practice squad once this season, playing special teams roles. Jackson, a seventh-round rookie, was called up twice this season and recorded an interception in one outing.
NFL rule changes this season state that a player can only be called up twice. But due to the emergency situation involving COVID-19, Jackson is allowed to be called up a third time without needing to be signed to the Bills’ 53-man roster.
For more information on the Bills’ COVID-19 situation on Saturday, see the link below:
Josh Norman tests positive for COVID, 4 Bills players out vs. Cardinals
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