The Buffalo Bills‘ perfect 4-0 start to the season will be put to the test on Sunday night when they face the New England Patriots, who are coming off an emphatic 42-13 win against the Carolina Panthers.
What’s more impressive about the Bills’ record is that they have been somewhat aggressively by the injury bug.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, former All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano and right tackle, Spencer Brown, have all missed time to start the season. And both linebacker, Dorian Williams and sixth round rookie corner, Dorian Strong, have been ruled out for this weekend, with the others being labelled as questionable.
However, things are looking up for Oliver, Milano, Brown and rookie second round pick, TJ Sanders, who suffered a mid-week injury and is also questionable for Sunday, with regards to their returns over the forthcoming weeks.
As is that of the team’s first round pick in April’s draft, Maxwell Hairston and kicker, Tyler Bass – who look to have their 21-day practice windows opened before being promoted to the active roster.
When that ultimately happens, there will unfortunately be casualties for other parts of the roster, and Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic has two specific names in mind – Brandon Codrington and Ja’Marcus Ingram.
Cornerback Duo Could Be Facing Release In The Near Future
“Ingram is the fourth boundary cornerback on the depth chart, clearly behind Strong as the primary backup.” Buscaglia wrote on Friday. “When Ingram is active, the team has given him a little over half of the core-four special teams snaps. Strongâs neck injury bears watching, as that could improve Ingramâs situation.
Buscaglia also added comments as to the Codrington’s potential future.
“Throughout the summer, Codrington didnât have much competition for the return specialist role.” Buscaglia continued. “He opened the season as both the primary kickoff and punt returner. Codringtonâs decision-making on punt returns in Week 3, along with the Bills wanting to get a look at Samuel, helped lead to the Bills making Codrington inactive for Week 4. It remains to be seen if that trend continues in Week 5.”
Ingram and Codrington were listed amongst seven other players as potential cut candidates when Bass, Hairston, and suspended defensive linemen, Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi, return to the fold later this season.
However, it was their names specifically whom Buscaglia touted as the most likely to be face the chopping block upon the others’ return from the IR
Why Would The Bills Part With Codrington And Ingram?
Codrington’s woes as a returner, where he spends the majority of his time, despite officially being a defensive, could see his days on the active roster numbered, whilst Ingram could likely be the victim of substantial depth at cornerback, especially upon Hairston’s re-arrival to the active roster.
“I think the two most likely candidates are Codrington and Ingram.” Buscaglia claimed. The Bills already took a pronounced step back from Codrington in Week 4 by making him a healthy scratch, and have other roster options to do both of Codringtonâs primary functions as the returner. Without any other special teams functionality or a defensive role, Codrington is the easiest answer.”
“…[Ingram] been inactive over the last two weeks. Ingram plays on special teams, but isnât a core-four asset when active. Even if he were to be claimed on waivers, the Bills still have Dane Jackson stashed on the practice squad, and the team is hoping to get Hairston back on the roster at some point.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Predicted To Cut Cornerback Pair When Injuries Abate appeared first on Heavy Sports.