The Buffalo Bills had an open spot on their practice squad after promoting a fan-favorite player to the active roster, and on Tuesday they filled it with a familiar face.
The team announced that they brought Baylon Spector back to the practice squad, providing some trusted depth. Spector had been waived with an injury designation before the season started, but now returns to Buffalo with a chance to give the team support at a position of need.
Baylon Spector Returns for Second Stint in Buffalo
Spector played for the Bills since coming into the NFL in 2022 as a seventh-round pick. He appeared in 26 total games over three seasons, starting four games last year when the Bills were hit with injuries.
Spector returned to the team this offseason, but the team announced on August 6 that they waived him with an injury designation. Spector had been hit with a series of injuries during his time in Buffalo, including one in August that led to his initial departure.
The Bills had room on their roster after signing linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo to the active roster prior to last week’s game against the New England Patriots.
Ciarlo earned a spot in training camp after an impressive tryout in August. Though he did not make the final cut, Ciarlo earned a spot on the practice squad — and in the hearts of fans when he was featured on “Hard Knocks.”
The former Army standout said in the summer that he was excited to get a chance at the NFL with the Bills.
âItâs surreal. Itâs been emotional,â Ciarlo said. âA year ago, I thought all my hopes and dreams were crushed. So itâs been a really emotional journey. With all that emotion, itâs just been really surreal.â
Ciarlo made his debut in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, playing mostly on special teams.
Bills Hit With Injury at Linebacker
The Bills are in need of some depth at linebacker after veteran Matt Milano was hurt in his first game back. Milano had missed two games with a pectoral injury, but was forced to leave Sunday’s game when he was hurt again.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Tuesday that Milano re-aggravated the same injury.
“He tweaked that pec in the game yesterday, so he’ll be week to week,” McDermott said, via the team’s official website.
McDermott did not give an exact timeline of when Milano could return, but said he expected the linebacker would avoid a trip to injured reserve. The Bills head coach also praised Milano for the work he put in to recover from a series of major injuries over the past few seasons.
“Nobody works harder than Matt Milano to stay healthy,” McDermott said. “Right now it’s going to be next man up for this week.”
The Bills could elevate Spector during Milano’s time away, as he is already familiar with the scheme defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and McDermott employ on defense. The Bills have a longer break this week, facing the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football before heading to their bye week.
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