The Buffalo Bills are gearing up to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and they are looking to find the win column after falling to the Miami Dolphins last week.
The Bills faced more than just a tough loss; they also dealt with the unfortunate news that defensive end Landon Jackson suffered a knee injury, leading to his placement on injured reserve.
Bills Sign Pass Rusher
With Jackson out, Buffalo had to make a move, and on Wednesday, it signed NFL veteran defensive end Morgan Fox to the practice squad, according to Buffalo Bills PR.
Fox has spent eight years in the NFL playing for the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers. He appeared in 120 games for those three teams, recording 27.5 sacks.
Fox spent the preseason with the Falcons but was ultimately released after the preseason concluded, never making the active roster.
The Bills needed help along the defensive line, and adding Fox should help when he’s ready to play. It can never hurt to have too many veterans on the roster, especially for a team that is looking to make a run towards the Super Bowl.
Michael Hoecht Suffered a Season Ending Injury
Jackson isn’t the only Bills defensive lineman to face injury this season. During the Bills’ Week 9 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, Michael Hoecht suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon.
Hoecht signed a three-year, $24 million contract this offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Rams. During his four years in Los Angeles, Hoecht recorded 13.5 sacks.
The 28-year-old pass rusher was part of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bills expected Hoecht to bring his Super Bowl experience to the team this season, and he was making a significant impact on the field. However, now he will need to step up and lead the team off the field.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott expressed his disappointment over Hoecht’s season ending prematurely.
“He’s looked forward to these moments because he was out earlier in the year with his suspension,” McDermott said on Nov. 3, via Buffalo Bills.com Maddy Glab “To get off to such a fiery start and impact the team in such an influential way in such a short amount of time, when you go through a situation like that it’s a natural disappointment. It’s a shame, it really is. He is as tough as they come and it’s important that we support him all the way through this.”
The NFL suspended Hoect for the first six games of the season because he violated the league’s performance enhancement drug policy. Because of his suspensions, Hoect only got to play in two games before his injury, recording a sack in each contest.
Buffalo will need a handful of players to step up if it wants to make its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1990s, and Fox could be a key player who helps lead them there.
The Bills still have two more months of the regular season and postseason run, so they could sign more veterans in the next few weeks if anyone else gets injured.
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