After suffering a scary neck injury in Week 2, Aaron Williams returned to play most of the team’s defensive snaps in Week 5. While that appeared to be a good sign for the Buffalo safety, it doesn’t appear he has fully recovered from his injury.
The Bills announced today in a press release that Williams has been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return. The move rules Williams out of games until Week 14, though he’ll be eligible to begin practicing following the club’s Week 11 game. Buffalo has signed safety Josh Bush, a Rex Ryan favorite who previously played for the Jets, to fill Williams’ roster spot.
While Bush, who was recently cut by the Broncos, could get an opportunity to earn some playing time, Bacarri Rambo looks like the favorite to assume a starting job at safety in Williams’ absence.
By using their IR-DTR slot on Williams, the Bills becomes the 19th team to use the designation this season, as our tracker shows. All three of Buffalo’s AFC East rivals made use of the IR-DTR spot prior to the season, with the Dolphins using it on injured running back Jay Ajayi, the Patriots using it on center Bryan Stork, and the Jets using it on cornerback Dee Milliner.