Bills given fourth-highest odds to sign Colin Kaepernick

The Buffalo Bills have been given 7-1 odds to sign controversial quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

If one sports-betting outlet is to be believed, Colin Kapernick’s long-rumored return to professional football could commence in Western New York.

BettingOnline.ag has given the Buffalo Bills 7-1 odds to sign the 32-year-old quarterback, the fourth-highest odds amongst all NFL teams.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who recently benched Andy Dalton in favor of rookie Ryan Finley, have the league’s highest odds at 7-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are the only remaining teams who top Buffalo on the list.

The odds were released after the NFL announced a weekend workout for the former San Francisco 49er, giving Kaepernick, who has not taken a snap in a professional football game since the 2016 season, an opportunity to impress scouts in attendance. According to ESPN, over 24 teams are expected to send scouts to Saturday’s workout.

Kaepernick’s controversial absence from the NFL has been well documented. The veteran kneeled during the singing of the national anthem throughout the 2016 season, his way of protesting racial inequality in the United States. His decision sparked a national debate, prompting the NFL to approve a new national anthem policy in the 2018 offseason.

Kaepernick went unsigned following his protest, ultimately causing the quarterback to file a grievance against the NFL for what he felt was ‘collusion.’ The grievance was settled in February 2019.

Still a free agent, Kaepernick will have the opportunity to play himself onto a roster with a strong performance at his workout this weekend. Once one of the NFL’s most electric players, Kaepernick’s talent level is undeniable. In a league in which teams employ at least two signal-callers, it’s hard to argue that there are 64 professional quarterbacks more talented than Kaepernick.

That being said, Kaepernick has been removed from the game for three years. Now older and lacking recent in-game experience, how Kaepernick would perform in NFL action remains to be seen.

Though the Bills have been given strong odds to sign the former NFC Championship-winning quarterback, a Buffalo-Kaepernick marriage does not seem likely.

With Josh Allen and Matt Barkley on their roster, the Bills are set under center. Though offensive coordinator Brian Daboll could likely make something out of Kaepernick’s athleticism, a return to the NFL as a third-string quarterback and gadget player would likely be far from appealing for the veteran.

Buffalo fans, as a whole, are mixed regarding their opinions on Kaepernick, as well. Though some feel as though he’s a talented player who could improve the team’s struggling offense, others are vehemently against the idea given his past. Kaepernick has previously stated that it was “very evident” that Buffalo fans were against his protest.

Kaepernick would undoubtedly improve some of the quarterback rooms around the NFL. The Bills, however, do not possess one of those rooms. Kaepernick would not be an upgrade over Allen or Barkley, and thus, it’s difficult to imagine the team bringing him in, regardless of betting odds.

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Bills at Dolphins: Final Friday injury reports

Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Friday injury reports.

Here are the final Friday injury reports for both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins ahead of their Week 11 meeting at Hard Rock Stadium:

Buffalo Bills (6-3)

Questionable

DE Jerry Hughes (groin)

Notes:

Jerry Hughes was injured during Thursday’s practice and was listed as limited. Friday he did not practice.

Miami Dolphins (2-7)

Out

CB Ken Webster (ankle)

Questionable

DE Taco Charlton (elbow)
S Reshad Jones (chest)
DE Avery Moss (knee)
LB Raekwon McMillan (knee)

Notes:

Reshad Jones told reporters he “hopes” to play vs. Bills. … Jones, Ken Webster and Avery Moss missed Week 10. … Raekwon McMillan hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2018 season. Taco Charlton was limited in practice the entire week.

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Bills playoff picture: Browns down Steelers, likely lose Myles Garrett

Buffalo Bills playoff picture with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph.

There’s a lot to note from Week 11 of the NFL season in regard to the Bills’ playoff picture.

And it’s only Friday.

So far, we’ve only seen Thursday Night Football. That contest was between two teams within reach of the Bills in the AFC playoff picture.

Heading into the game, the Browns needed to, and did, win, over the Steelers. The score was 21-7. Pittsburgh was holding the second wild card spot at 5-4 but no longer is. Cleveland’s now a 4-6 and while still on the outside looking in, they’re hot after beating the Bills last week, too.

That also means if they stay hot, Buffalo will have lost that tiebreaker.

But the huge story out of this game is Myles Garrett. The pass rusher is Cleveland’s best player and his season could be over. After getting tied up with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, he ripped off his helmet and swung it at him.

Yes, that happened:

I cannot believe this just happened pic.twitter.com/EHwImPUrSH

— Barstool Sports (@BarstoolsTweets) November 15, 2019

Garrett owned up to what happened after the game.

“I made a mistake, I lost my cool and I regret it,” Garrett said.

But some are calling for legal action against Garrett for what he did. This could get ugly.

Regardless, Rudolph was not happy, naturally.

“I know it’s bush league, and I know it’s a total coward move on his part,” Rudolph said.

But to round things out, this is a big blow to the Browns’ chances of catching the Bills in the standings.

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Lorenzo Alexander named Bills’ Art Rooney Award nominee

Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander was named the team’s finalist for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award this week.

The award was created in 2015 to honor late Pro Football Hall of Famer and Steelers owner Art Rooney.

The winner of the NFL Sportsmanship Award is determined by a vote of current players. A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community will select eight finalists from the 32 original nominees, one coming from each team.

That panel will include Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler.

The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

Here’s the full list of nominee via the NFL:

» Arizona Cardinals C A.Q. Shipley
» Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones
» Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
» Buffalo Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander
» Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey
» Chicago Bears DB Kyle Fuller
» Cincinnati Bengals DE Sam Hubbard
» Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb
» Dallas Cowboys CB Byron Jones
» Denver Broncos LB Von Miller
» Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford
» Green Bay Packers CB Tramon Williams
» Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson
» Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton
» Jacksonville Jaguars DL Calais Campbell
» Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
» Los Angeles Chargers LB Thomas Davis Sr.
» Los Angeles Rams S Eric Weddle
» Miami Dolphins C Daniel Kilgore
» Minnesota Vikings DE Danielle Hunter
» New England Patriots WR Matthew Slater
» New Orleans Saints T Terron Armstead
» New York Giants DL Dalvin Tomlinson
» New York Jets DL Steve McLendon
» Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
» Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
» Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner
» San Francisco 49ers T Joe Staley
» Seattle Seahawks LB K.J. Wright
» Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
» Tennessee Titans C Ben Jones
» Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson

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As of now, Bills will not attend Colin Kaepernick workout

Buffalo Bills not attending Colin Kaepernick workout.

The NFL announced earlier this week that they are inviting former quarterback and company employee, Colin Kaepernick, to hold a private workout for teams.

Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, took a stand against what he called social injustices in the United States by taking a knee during the national anthem. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016.

Perhaps because he was blackballed or perhaps because teams were simply too afraid to sign him, nobody has. Perhaps that will change this weekend.

His workout is slated for Saturday in Atlanta and on Thursday, the NFL named 11 teams that will attend the event, as of now. The Bills are not among them.

Those who are going to be in attendance, per NFL communications, are the Cardinals, Falcons, Browns, Broncos, Lions, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants, Jets, Bucs and Redskins.

That could change, but for now, the Bills will not be represented there.

But Pro Football Talk reports only one team has declined to attend, the Panthers. So there’s still at least some possibility.

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NFL Pro Bowl voting open: Here are the Bills on the ballot

Buffalo Bills players on the ballot for the 2019 Pro Bowl.

There’s plenty of time left in the 2019 NFL season. But the NFL opened up Pro Bowl voting earlier this week.

Numerous Bills players appear on the ballot. Here’s who:

Offense:

QB Josh Allen
RB Frank Gore
RB Devin Singletary
WR John Brown
WR Cole Beasley
FB Patrick DiMarco
TE Tyler Kroft
OL Cody Ford
OL Dion Dawkins
OL Quinton Spain
OL Jon Felicano
OL Mitch Morse

Defense:

DE Jerry Hughes
DE Trent Murphy
DT Jordan Phillips
DT Star Lotulelei
LB Tremaine Edmunds
LB Lorenzo Alexander
LB Matt Milano
CB Levi Wallace
CB Tre’Davious White
S Micah Hyde
S Jordan Poyer

Special teams:

K Stephen Hauschka
KR Andre Roberts
P Corey Borjorquez
S Siran Neal

Click here to vote for your Buffalo Bills.

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Jerry Hughes, Dawson Knox pop up on Bills injury report

According to the team’s injury report, rookie tight end Dawson Knox and defensive end Jerry Hughes both appeared on team’s injury report.

The Bills have been extremely healthy for this time of year.

It’s 11 weeks into the regular season and they opened up their first injury report ahead of facing the Dolphins with nobody on it. That changed on Thursday.

According to the team’s injury report, rookie tight end Dawson Knox and defensive end Jerry Hughes both appeared on it. Both of those players were listed to have knee and groin injuries, respectively. Knox practiced in a limited capacity while Hughes did not practice at all.

Neither player appeared on the injury report a day prior, so one can assume the injuries took place in practice on Thursday.

While chatting with reporters following Thursday’s practice, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said he’s expected Knox to practice on Friday.

“It’s nothing to be worried about,” the coach said. “Some knee soreness.”

There were no updates on Hughes’ status.

Both are worth monitoring on Friday.

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2019 Bills opponents: Jets’ Adam Gase will be back in 2020

Christopher Johnson said Adam Gase will return as the New York Jets head coach in 2020.

The New York media cycle has recently been tossing out the name of Christopher Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets.

He waited until this week to finally speak to reporters about the state of his 2-7 football team.

Based on what he said, that makes sense.

After a 1-7 start, the Jets beat the Giants 34-27 last week. With a few good vibes out there after the win, the owner assured fans of Gang Green that head coach Adam Gase would be back in 2020.

“I want to assure you there will be no changes in coaches here,” Johnson said via Jets Wire. “Adam has the trust of this team. He has the trust of Sam. He has Joe’s trust. He has my trust. He’s a good man. He’s a good coach.”

“There’s a lot of work to do,” Johnson added. “There’s a great deal of work to do. Everyone understands that and we’re just getting started. But I feel really good about this team moving forward.”

The Bills and the Jets will wrap their season series up in their finales, Week 17. That could be a big game for Buffalo, but it won’t be for the Jets, unless they win the rest of their games they’re already out of the postseason icutre. That seems unlikely considering their record.

But, there you have it. Buffalo’s AFC East foe won’t have a new head coach next season. That’s probably the right call, too. Even after such a poor season, most coaches deserve a at least two seasons to turn things around.

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Bills playoff picture: Steelers’ James Conner returns to practice

The Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are holding your first and second AFC wild card slots, respectively, heading into Week 11.

Running back James Conner is going to play a big part in that.

The Steelers and Cleveland Browns will open Week 11 on Thursday Night Football. It’s looking like Conner will return from a shoulder injury. He’s one of the primer rusher in the NFL.

Along with Conner, offensive lineman Ramon Foster (concussion) is also expected to return to the Steelers’ fold. He’s their starting guard.

With the Baltimore Ravens having a strangle hold on the AFC North at this time at 7-2, the Steelers and Bills, with the AFC East leading New England Patriots also in mind, are two teams that will be squarely facing off in the wild card battle.

The Bills and Steelers will also faceoff against one another in Week 15 in Pittsburgh.

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Bills at Dolphins: Wednesday injury reports

Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins Wednesday injury reports ahead of Week 11.

As the Bills and Dolphins get set to wrap their 2019 season series, only one team has any injuries to report of.

Here are the Wednesday injury reports for both the Bills and Dolphins ahead of Week 11:

Buffalo Bills (6-3)

Notes:

The Bills have a full 53-man roster healthy.

Miami Dolphins (2-7)

Did not practice

CB Ken Webster (ankle)

Limited

DE Taco Charlton (elbow)
DT Davon Godchaux (shoulder)
S Reshad Jones (chest)
LB Raekwon McMillan (knee)
DE Avery Moss (ankle)
TE Durham Smythe (knee/ elbow)

Notes:

Reshad Jones told reporters he “hopes” to play vs. Bills. … Jones, Ken Webster and Avery Moss missed Week 10. … Raekwon McMillan hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2018 season.