The Buffalo Bills are taking more hits to their defense, losing two more players to injured reserve including a veteran safety.
The team announced on Saturday that safety Damar Hamlin and defensive tackle T.J. Sanders will miss Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, with the possibility of a long absence to follow. The Bills have already been hit with injuries at all levels of their defense, but the latest could force the team to make some immediate changes to fill the holes.
Bills Lose Three Players for Monday Night Football
As The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reported, the Bills shared some dire news ahead of this week’s game against the Falcons. Three players have already been ruled out, with Hamlin and Sanders missing at least the next month as both are headed to injured reserve.
“Bills HC Sean McDermott has ruled LB Matt Milano, DT T.J. Sanders and S Damar Hamlin are all OUT vs. the Falcons,” Buscaglia shared in a post on X. “Sanders and Hamlin will be going to Injured Reserve.”
After starting the majority of the season last year, Hamlin has slid into a reserve role this year behind Taylor Rapp and second-year safety Cole Bishop. He remains a key special teams player.
The Bills could give a bigger role to rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock, who spent time at safety and earned good reviews from McDermott after the team’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.
“Looked good,” McDermott said. “Again, you really don’t know until you watch the film. I’m not out there watching a specific person necessarily, but there are certain guys that you could feel. They showed up in the game. You could feel them on special teams, feel them on defense in this case, Jordan being one of them.”
Hancock played mostly nickel cornerback in college, but is expected to slide to safety for the Bills. He said this summer that it was a smoother transition than he expected.
“I think it’s an easy transition [from nickel CB to safety], for real,” Hancock said. “There’s still little stuff I have to work on, but it’s been a smooth transition because I got great veteran guys that helped me a lot and great coaches.”
Bills Could Get Relief Soon
The Bills could have some good news on the injury front, with defensive tackle Ed Oliver nearing a return after missing the last four games. Oliver had one of the best games of his career in Week 1, registering two sacks and a forced fumble in the 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens. He suffered an injury at practice the following week and has missed the following month, but appears to be nearing a return.
The Bills will also get a boost on the defensive line with the return of two suspended players, Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi. Both had been handed six-game suspensions for violating the league’s rules against performance-enhancing drugs, with the punishments announced shortly after both signed with the Bills last offseason.
The team may need to seek outside help in the secondary, where they are already missing rookie cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston and Dorian Strong to long-term injuries.
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