Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott on LB Darron Lee.
The Buffalo Bills did not make any moves at the 2020 NFL trade deadline which came and passed on Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean the Bills did not make any recent transactions.
Buffalo (6-2) added two players via free agency. That often happens, but those added were… intriguing. Not only because they play positions of need, but because of the players themselves. Linebacker Darron Lee and cornerback Daryl Worley were signed by the Bills to their practice squad.
Lee is a former first-round pick of the Jets, while Worley is no slouch himself. Not only was he a third rounder, but the DB played in Sean McDermott’s defense in 2016 with the Panthers.
However, the pair are in a grey area. They only officially got on the practice field this week. Are they ready? At least on Lee, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott gave us a little hint. McDermott didn’t say no to the idea of at least Lee playing vs. the Seattle Seahawks (6-1) on Sunday.
“It’s possible. Not out of the realm of possibility at this point. It is a short run up, if you will. We’ll have to see how today goes and tomorrow,” the coach told WGR-550 radio on Friday. “It’s just hard to get up to speed in a quick manner like this, but (Lee’s) a guy that’s played varsity snaps before and he’s done some good things. Comes from a good program in college (Ohio State). There’s some positives there as well.”
At linebacker specifically, AJ Klein has filled in for a limited Matt Milano in recent weeks. Milano, Buffalo’s incumbent starter, has a pectoral injury and has played on a “pitch count” due to the injury. That’s caused Milano to struggle, and Klein’s had a tough go of it as well.
In terms of Milano, McDermott, as usual, did not want to give away any hints to his upcoming opponent. The coach wouldn’t say if Milano is not going to play vs. the Seahawks, but he did sound more cautious about Milano, who has not practice this week.
“I just think we’ve been trying to figure out the best approach – figuring out the injury and how the injury affects the player,” McDermott said. “Then trying to do the best thing for the player and then the best thing for the team as well.”
“That’s the delicate balance that we’re always trying to find. And no one has a crystal ball as good as our medical staff is, there’s no crystal ball to be able to exactly pinpoint where things are going to be.” McDermott added.
While the linebacker area has been a position of concern for McDermott’s struggling defense, it’s not alone. Over the middle of the field, slot receivers have beaten up the Bills due to poor play from nickel corner Taron Johnson. Could Worley be the competition Johnson needs there? The Seahawks have receiver Tyler Lockett coming out of there.
It’s still unclear whether or not what will happen with Lee and Worley ahead of facing the Seahawks, but we’ll find out on Saturday, most likely. That’s when the Bills recall players from their practice squad ahead of games, so keep an eye out for both players in the coming day or two.
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