While left tackle Cordy Glenn is no longer listed on the NFL’s injury report after recovering from an ankle injury, he’s not a certainty to regain his starting role along the Bills‘ offensive line, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. Head coach Sean McDermott admitted as much today, noting that Buffalo hasn’t decided whether Glenn will take starter’s snaps against the Buccaneers on Sunday, per Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter links). While Glenn has lined up with the Bills’ first team during practice this week, the club’s coaching staff is reportedly high on rookie Dion Dawkins, who’s started on the blindside in Glenn’s absence. Still, benching Glenn — who earns $12MM annually and graded as the league’s No. 21 tackle a season ago, per Pro Football Focus — would be a surprising decision by Buffalo brass.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of Bills‘ injuries on the offensive side of the ball, McDermott indicated he’s “very encouraged” by tight end Charles Clay‘s progress after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month, and said the veteran pass-catcher could return later this season, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Initial reports suggested Clay would miss multiple weeks after going under the knife, and the fact that Buffalo hasn’t placed Clay on injured reserve bodes well for a potential return. Had Clay been IR’d, he would have been eligible to play again in early December. With Clay sidelined, the Bills have turned to Nick O’Leary as their starting tight end — he managed receptions for 54 yards in Buffalo’s Week 5 loss to Cincinnati.
- Patriots linebacker Harvey Langi is likely to miss the remainder of the 2017 campaign after being involved in a car accident last week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Langi and his wife reportedly suffered serious injuries after being rear-ended last Friday, but thankfully the issues are not thought to be life-threatening. Still, Langi’s back injury is apparently significant enough to rule him out for the rest of the season. A highly sought-after undrafted free agent earlier this year, Langi had only appeared in one game for New England.
- Cornerback Ryan Lewis is now earning an active roster salary rate ($465K) as a member of the Patriots‘ practice squad, and that’s because the Bills recently expressed interest in adding Lewis to their 53-man roster, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Instead of signing with Buffalo, however, Lewis opted to stick with New England’s taxi squad given his familiarity with the Patriots’ coaching staff. Lewis, an undrafted Pitt product who originally signed with the Cardinals earlier this year, managed two sub-4.40 40-yard dash times during the predraft process, but his “lack of experience shows up on tape,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.