Christian Benford is nearing his return.
The Buffalo Bills (12-3) announced ahead of their Week 17 meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) on Monday that the rookie cornerback has been designated to return from injured reserve.
Benford suffered an oblique injury during his team’s 28-25 win against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Soon after, he was placed on IR.
At the same time, Buffalo signed veteran corner Xavier Rhodes to the active roster. Rhodes is still on it.
Currently the roster is full at 53 players.
However, designating Benford for return does not mean he’s on it or able to play just yet.
The new designation opens a 21-day window for Benford to practice with his teammates as he preps for a return to the lineup. Buffalo is allowed to bring him back on the roster at any time during that window, even before facing the Bengals, however, someone would have to be taken off of the roster to make room for him.
Most times when the Bills do designated a player to return, they do not play him immediately. The team have let players practice for that entire time period before making a decision. Throughout it all, Bills Wire will provide updates on Benford’s status as information is made available.
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