Tag: Bills preseason

Bills’ Nyheim Hines breaks silence on season-ending preseason incident

Some recent updates on Nyheim Hines:

On July 24, Nyheim Hines suffered an off-field season-ending injury.

And 120 days later, he publicly shared all the trials, tribulations, and mental anguish he suffered in that time to The Athletic.

Hines was traded to the Buffalo Bills from the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. Former Bills running back Zack Moss, who had a strong rookie year before injuries curtailed his availability, was the piece going the other way.

Hines became a part of Bills folklore with not one, but two kickoff returns for a touchdown last season against the New England Patriots, and general manager Brandon Beane expected Hines to feature more in the offense after his success in the special teams in 2022.

“It’s not like I can go out and find another Nyheim Hines.” said Beane after the accident when asked by reporters how he plans to replace the injured running back.

Some expected Hines to feature more this season as well. Unfortunately, one hot July day on the lake would change everything.

The details of what happened were always a little unclear. It was understood that there was a jet ski accident that was the cause of injury, and that he would be unavailable for the rest of the season. A huge blow to his continued success here at Buffalo.

In the incident, one of Hines’ friends did not see him turn his jet ski on the water and crashed into him going somewhere between 20 and 40 mph. Then when Hines when to go workout, somehow his leg, the side of his body not contacted by the other jet ski, was bothering him.

A MRI result showed Hines tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.

Per Hines, he was bare even using the water craft that weekend, he just wanted to be a good friend and fill it with more gas for everyone else. Then the accident.

Hines detailed a difficult rehab process, specifically the first two weeks after his surgery.

“This will be a heck of a story when it’s over, I’m gonna make sure of it.” said Hines.

At one time, there was speculation that Hines and the Bills were at odds. Turns out, they are not. After placing a player on the NFI list, a team doesn’t need to pay him.

But in the end, good faith in Buffalo paid out. According to The Athletic’s report, Hines and the Bills agreed upon a sum and all-in-all, he’s motivated to make 2024 count even more now.

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Bills Wire Preseason Week 3 Player of the Game: Siran Neal

#Bills Wire Preseason Week 3 Player of the Game: Siran Neal (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ last preseason game was on the road against the Chicago Bears. The Bears won 24-21 in a close game and a few Bills players had a very good game.

We are awarding our third issue of the Player of the Week Award in 2023 to cornerback Siran Neal, who had two tackles, two pass deflections, and helped teammate Ja’Marcus Ingram secure Buffalo’s only interception of the game.

The Bills special team veteran was drafted by Buffalo in 2018 in the 5th round and is listed fourth on the depth chart at CB. Usually, Neal appears on special teams but Bills fans will remember his catch against the Patriots on a fake punt in December 2020.

Today, Neal was tasked with multiple snaps against the Bears first string wide receiver Darnell Mooney on the right side of the field. He prevented Bears QB Justin Fields on finding Mooney in the end zone at the end of the first quarter. He deflected another pass intended for Mooney in the end-zone from backup Chicago QB Tyson Bagent, limiting the Bears to a field goal attempt when down 7-0.

Neal would continue to frustrate Bagent and the Chicago offense when he crucially disrupted the timing of Bears wide receiver Daurice Fountain in Chicago’s sole interception of the game. When the Bills fumbled the ball after conceding a rushing touchdown to Bagent and were down 14-10 with the Bears looking to take the lead, Neal physically disrupted Fountain’s crossing route, which provided Ingram the opportunity to jump the route and intercept Bagent. This helped the Bills go into the locker room with a 7 point lead.

Neal’s physicality and man-marking skills in coverage was clearly evident and we hope he will get more snaps for the defense in the regular season and continue to make an impact in special teams.

Buffalo will be on the road at MetLife Stadium for their first regular season game against the New York Jets.

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Bills Wire Preseason Week 2 Player of the Game: Justin Shorter

Not a whole lot of candidates this week… but we found one (via

The Buffalo Bills preseason went on the road to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite losing 27-15 in a poor fashion, a few Bills players had a good game.

We are awarding our second season issue of the Player of the Week Award in 2023 to wide receiver Justin Shorter, who had five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in the final offensive drive for the Bills:

The Florida product was drafted by Buffalo in the 2023 in the 5th round and was named ‘a steal’ by Touchdown Wire. He was the lone bright spot in the Bills offense, connecting with backup quarterback Kyle Allen  in the second half on multiple short catches and the touchdown strike to the end zone.

Shorter, who is listed on the second team in Bills’ depth chart, had his first catch to convert a third down against Steelers’ CB James Pierre by beating him with a cut inside to move the sticks.

His second was also  won after cutting inside against Steelers’ 3rd string CB Chris Wilcox, taking a physical hit in the middle of the field. He beat Pierre on the outside in the only incompletion Kyle Allen had targeted him on.

During his touchdown winning drive, he used the sidelines well to save time on the clock after the two-minute warning, prior to the touchdown strike. His physicality and technical route-running was clearly evident and can evolve his game plan. We hope he will continue to progress and make an impact in the regular season behind Gabe Davis.

Buffalo will be on the road for their final preseason game, heading to Chicago to play against the Bears next Saturday. After McDermott declared it’s an open competition for the backup QB job last week and Allen performing better than Matt Barkley this week, it will be important to see Shorter have chemistry with both QBs if his snap count increases next week.

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Bills Wire Preseason Week 1 Player of the Game: Matt Barkley

Bills Wire Preseason Week 1 Player of the Game: Matt Barkley (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills preseason started off with quarterback Matt Barkley showing that he is more than capable under center.

For our first preseason issue of the Player of the Week Award in 2023, Barkley, who played with Josh Allen confirmed to be out of uniform for Saturday’s game, showed why he is trusted as the backup QB.

Matt Barkley threw two touchdowns in the second half to secure a double-digit lead in the Bills home preseason game that proved to be unsurmountable. Overall, Barkley was 14-for-15 passing for 172 yards.

After Barkley’s performance, McDermott declared it’s an open competition for the backup QB job. Barkley will look to keep outplaying Kyle Allen throughout the preseason.

Buffalo will be on the road for the remainder of the preseason, heading to Pittsburgh for their game next Saturday against the Steelers.

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PFF: Bills’ Greg Rousseau has NFL’s highest QB pressure rate

PFF (@pff_bills): #Bills’ Greg Rousseau has NFL’s highest QB pressure rate (via @Stereorush):

The Buffalo Bills worked to build depth in their defensive end group to improve their pass rush and pocket pressure this past offseason

It’s gone so well that they are getting trade inquiry calls from teams around the league on players from their defensive end group

One reason why is the immediate impact and steady play this preseason of 2021 first-round pick Greg Rousseau. The Bills took the 21-year-old edge rusher with the 30th overall selection in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.

And so far, that pick is paying off even sooner than expected.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus Rousseau has had the highest percentage of any NFL player in applying pocket pressure to opposing QB’s this preseason:

The rookie defensive end’s play is opening eyes and turning heads among the media and NFL alike.

While his immediate productivity may come as a surprise to some, PFF actually predicted during their 2021 predraft analysis that the hype surrounding Rousseau would be warranted.

Considering he was second to only Chase Young in major stat categories during his final NCAA season with the University of Miami, Rousseau has the potential to progress towards becoming a starter in the NFL.

If he continues to play with this level of consistent productivity, regular season playing time in his position group rotation may come sooner than later.

That regular playing time could allow him to take those next steps towards achieving similar success at the pro level as well, which is something that Bills coaches, fans, and veterans like Bruce Smith and Andre Reed, would love to see.

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Vaccination status could matter as final cuts for Bills loom

Vaccination status could matter as final cuts for #Bills loom:

Brandon Beane doesn’t need to cut his roster down to 53 until August 31.

The Buffalo Bills released five players on Tuesday, the second wave of preseason cuts, to reduce its roster to 81 players. Beane doesn’t know the current percentage of players vaccinated due to the recent roster moves. He estimates it to be near or under the 80% threshold.

Beane was chastised by the NFL for comments made about cutting players due to vaccination status in the spring. Beane was asked if he would consider cutting an unvaccinated player if it meant the team could lift or loosen NFL COVID-19 protocols restricting in-person meetings.

“Yes I would,” Beane said on the team-sponsored One Bills Live in May.

Beane was later notified by the league he may not cut a player solely due to vaccination status. Beane said it would be an advantage to cut a player to fall under the lesser restrictions.

Tuesday, the Bills, faced their first COIVD situation this season where it impacted multiple players. A trainer tested positive and four starters were deemed close contacts. Vernon Butler, Star Lotulelei, Gabriel Davis, and Cole Beasley are now out for up to five days.

Beane was once again asked how vaccination status could impact how he builds his roster.

“Yeah I mean you do have to try and look at everything,” Beane said. “It’s hard. I’m not going to get boxed in, to what I said in the spring but it’s tough. We’re trying to figure it out and we’ll try to have as many answers as we can if and when this does happen in the season. That’s probably the best I can answer.”

If a player chooses to get vaccinated now they would need two weeks to be considered fully vaccinated. That’s if they opt for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and not multiple dosages like Pfizer.

If a player makes that decision they would be fully vaccinated from one shot for the season opener on Sept. 12.

“They’re all pretty well educated,” Beane said. “It’s an independent personal decision. That’s really where it is. It’s not a mandatory thing that’s agreed upon by the league and the union.”

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Isaiah McKenzie injured after hit by Jordan Poyer during Bills practice

Isaiah McKenzie injured after hit by Jordan Poyer during #Bills practice:

Buffalo Bills slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie was injured during practice on Tuesday.

McKenzie caught a pass from backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and was blindsided by safety Jordan Poyer. Poyer appeared to try and slow down before the collision, according to various reports from the scene.

McKenzie then laid on the turf for several minutes. McKenzie was assisted off the field by trainers.

“We sent him off to get checked out, and there’s really nothing to offer right now,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said via press conference. “Hopefully Isaiah is okay.”

The depth at the slot receiver position is being tested right now. Cole Beasley was sent home on Tuesday after having being found a close contact with a trainer who tested positive for COVID-19. Beasley is out for up to five days.

The Bills did claim Rico Gafford off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals. The former Wyoming Cowboy played defensive back on a team that featured current Bills Josh Allen, Jacob Hollister, and Tanner Gentry on offense.

McKenzie’s injury is currently unknown but it looked to be near his arm/shoulder.

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Brandon Beane opens up on Buffalo Bills COVID situation

Brandon Beane opens up on #Bills COVID situation (via @NateMendelson):

The Buffalo Bills had a vaccinated trainer test positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. As a result, four close contacts were sent away from the team facility.

Vernon Butler, Gabriel Davis, Star Lotulelei, and Cole Beasley will be away from the Bills for up to five days due to the NFL’s health and safety protocol. The Bills are hoping no other positives will show up in the coming days.

The trainer did not feel they had COVID when they tested positive per general manager Brandon Beane via video conference. Currently, they are fine and experiencing minor symptoms.

The Bills sent an additional two players home out of precaution by the Buffalo staff. Matt Milano and A.J. Klein were pulled as the league completed its interviews for who could be a close contact.

With interviews taking time, Butler was on the practice field Tuesday. Beane says they were surprised to see him as a close contact and would not have practiced if they knew. Butler did test negative on Tuesday.

“These are the rules that are currently agreed upon by the NFLPA and league office so we deal with it and now all understand them,” Beane said. “I’m glad it’s the preseason and hopefully we won’t have a lot of this in the regular season.”

The league safety protocols differ for those vaccinated and unvaccinated. Those who are vaccinated test once every two weeks while those who are not must test every day. Beane is unsure where the Bills vaccination rate stands with recent roster moves. Buffalo surpassed the 80% threshold at the start of training camp. He doesn’t know if they’re still above it.

The Bills had a push at the beginning of training camp to reach the threshold but rates have leveled off. There is encouragement some players could get it now that the Pfizer vaccine is FDA approved.

“As long as it’s not a mandatory thing, I think most teams are going to have a number of players (unvaccinated),” Beane said. “Maybe some players are waiting on that, I don’t have a specific number of players who said ‘hey if the FDA approves this I’ll get it’ maybe some will look at this and say ‘hey I don’t want to deal with it.’ I’m not sure all of them will, time will tell.”

Bills players have already seen how the virus could affect them and their team. Left tackle Dion Dawkins returned to the practice field last week after covid put him in the hospital for four days. Beane reiterated that no one is exempt and the virus doesn’t discriminate against anyone.

The four close contacts aren’t automatically out of playing in Saturday’s final preseason game against the Packers. The five-day clock from the close contact period could have started two-to-three days ago for some players. Beane did not specify which.

Until then, the Bills will hope there are no other positive cases within the organization.

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Bills run game gains ground in win against Bears

Even #Bills FB Reggie Gilliam didn’t realize he’d be getting so much work against the #Bears:

While it’s only the preseason, the Buffalo Bills racked up a high-scoring 41-15 win against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Although it was due in no small part to the record-setting passing game and emergence of quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills ground attack has been seen as an area in need of improvement.

Bills running back Devin Singletary got the ground scoring started in the first quarter, turning what appeared to be a play that wasn’t going anywhere on fourth-and-one into a 14-yard touchdown run.

Singletary had a down-year numbers-wise last season after a breakout 2019 rookie campaign and is looking to bounce back. In the first two games of the season, Singletary has done just that.

And it caught the attention of Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who liked what he saw from his players carrying the ball. 

“Great effort. Guys were ready to play and to continue with that effort in the second half after the first half we had,” McDermott said during his media session. “We got off to a good start, and played well in all three phases. I thought some guys stepped up, guys that you don’t hear a lot about. Reggie Gilliam carrying the ball at the end and two big returns from Isaiah and Speedy (Marquez Stevenson).”

In the second quarter, Gilliam added two 1-yard rushing touchdowns for good measure, in a game that fell one day after his 24th Birthday. It was his first pair of scoring TD’s since high school..

“Going into the game, I had no idea I was going to be playing so much running back at the end,” Gilliam said while addressing the media. “So I was just going out there and playing football like I’d always done as a kid.”

The fullback plays as a blocking Tight End as well and saw time at that position last year with Buffalo after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo following the 2020 draft.

“Coach always says, ‘be ready to adjust and adapt’, that’s what I did today,” Gilliam added.

McDermott echoed similar sentiment while praising the FB.

“Reggie is a real serious young man. Football is important to him. His role is important to him as well,” McDermott said. “Happy to see him have success. He’s worked hard. He’s a team player. We got short a little bit on the backs and we knew going into the game he was going to need to be ready to go.”

In the third quarter, 2021 sixth-round pick WR Marquez Stevenson brought some energy to special teams with a 79-yard highlight-reel punt return score adding to Buffalo’s lead.

Stevenson left the game with a limp, however, among some injuries that took place in the second half. The receiver is getting an x-ray done on his foot/ankle per Buffalo Bills PR.

Next up, the team will face a potential Super Bowl opponent in the Green Bay Packers at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 in Buffalo to roundout the preseason. 

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What we learned from Bills’ preseason win over the Bears

What we learned from Bills’ preseason win over the Bears (via @NateMendelson):

The Buffalo Bills made it look awfully easy from start to finish against the Chicago Bears in their second preseason game. The Bills leave Chicago with a 41-15 win.

As is always the case in the preseason, there were plenty of things to note in the contest when reading between the lines.

Here are eight things we learned from the Bills’ preseason win over the Bears: