Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills To Bring Back P Matt Haack

The Bills saw their punting equation change when Sam Martin suffered a hamstring injury following a blocked field goal Monday. While Martin continued to punt in the team’s wild-card win, the Bills will bring in outside insurance.

Matt Haack will become Buffalo’s emergency punter, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. This marks a Western New York return for Haack, who operated as the Bills’ punter in 2021. A seven-year veteran, Haack has played for three teams in the past three years. Haack will fill the practice squad spot vacated when the team cut Leonard Fournette, per the Buffalo News’ Katherine Fitzgerald.

A full-time punter from 2017-22, Haack has only served as an emergency leg this season. The Browns brought him in for their Week 17 game, with Corey Bojorquez dealing with an injury. Haack spent the 2022 season with the Colts, taking over after the team lost Rigoberto Sanchez during a late-summer workout. Haack spent all of last season in Indianapolis.

Haack, 29, averaged a career-low 42.9 yards per punt during his 2021 Bills one-off, with Buffalo not exactly featuring ideal conditions for specialists. The former four-year Dolphins punter has averaged at least 44.6 yards per boot in every other season.

Martin has been Buffalo’s punter for two seasons; he grabbed his hamstring while running to help prevent the Steelers from returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown during the second quarter Monday. IR could be an option, should the Bills want to save a roster spot, but that would mean Martin is done for the season. The Bills at least have a familiar option in the event Martin cannot go against the Chiefs on Sunday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/16/24

As playoff teams prepare for the second round of the postseason, they continue to tinker with their practice squads:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers

Leonard Fournette‘s brief stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran running back joined Buffalo’s practice squad in October, but it took him until Week 16 to make his season debut. Fournette ended up getting into a pair of games for the Bills, collecting 40 rushing yards on 12 attempts. He wasn’t active for the team’s playoff opener, and after reverting to the practice squad, he now finds himself a free agent.

Bills/Steelers Playoff Game Postponed To Monday

The Bills/Steelers matchup scheduled for tomorrow afternoon has been pushed to Monday. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the first-round playoff game has been postponed to Monday at 4:30pm ET (via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports). The Bills have officially announced the decision.

Per Jones, Hochul has been communicating with commissioner Roger Goodell about a potential postponement. The storm is expected to reach it’s peak in Buffalo tomorrow afternoon, and the game was set to kick off at 1:00pm. Buffalo is expecting two to three inches of snow per hour, and there will be a travel ban in the city starting tonight through at least 6:00am Sunday morning. Hochul declared a State of Emergency on Friday.

“I’ve been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” Hochul tweeted. “In consultation with our emergency response teams, [Bills] leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.”

As Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets, the decision was made to protect those who will be traveling to the game, including fans. In other words, the decision wasn’t made in an effort to improve the on-field product. Per Jones, the Steelers have yet to leave Pittsburgh as of Saturday afternoon, and the organization is now expected to travel on Sunday.

The NFL certainly isn’t afraid of staging playoff games in inclement weather, and while the Bills/Steelers game has been pushed back, the Chiefs and Dolphins are still expected to play tonight in what will rank as one of the coldest games in NFL history (per the Associated Press, via ESPN).

While the NFL rarely moves games, this move isn’t completely unprecedented. In fact, the Steelers previously dealt with a postponed playoff game in 2017, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. The game was pushed back seven hours due to traveling concerns in Kansas City. The Steelers ended up winning that game over the Chiefs, with all 18 of Pittsburgh’s points coming via kicker Chris Boswell.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/11/24

One practice squad move to pass along:

Buffalo Bills

Klein has spent much of the past four seasons in Buffalo, collecting 110 tackles and five sacks in 39 games (16 starts). He was cut by the Bills at the end of the 2023 preseason, but following the sudden retirement of Christian Kirksey, he was added back to the practice squad. He ended up getting into a pair of games this season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. He was cut from the active roster back in December.

Matt Milano remains on injured reserve as he recovers from a broken tibia, and replacement Tyrel Dodson suffered a shoulder injury in the regular season finale. This left the team shallow at linebacker, and there’s a chance the veteran Klein finds himself on the active roster for Sunday’s first-round matchup against the Steelers.

Chargers Request Seven GM Interviews

8:09pm: The Chargers also put in a request to interview another Bears exec. Co-director of player personnel Jeff King will meet with the Bolts, ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry tweets.

The former Panthers and Cardinals tight end has been with the Bears since 2015, being with the team throughout the Ryan Pace regime. Poles moved King, 40, to his current post in 2022. This will be King’s first GM interview; he met with the Panthers about their assistant GM job in 2021.

5:58pm: Add Ian Cunningham to this list. The Bears’ assistant GM also received an interview request from the Chargers, Rapoport tweets. Cunningham joined Brown as an Eagles staffer who became an assistant GM in 2022, becoming Ryan Poles‘ right-hand man. Set to to have an important say in Chicago’s decision on Justin Fields, Cunningham also turned down the Arizona GM job last year.

2:43pm: The Chargers will make a belated push out of the starting blocks on their general manager search. Seeking to fill the role Tom Telesco held for 11 years, the AFC West team has sent out five GM interview requests thus far.

Former Dolphins GM-turned-Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland is among them, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Also included here is Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Bills VP of player personnel Terrance Gray also received Bolts interview requests, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.

This marks Ireland’s first entrance onto this year’s GM carousel. An Ireland-Sean Payton reunion has been rumored, but after rumblings of embattled Broncos GM George Paton being on the chopping block, it is looking like the Payton-Paton setup will remain in place. This would hinder an Ireland Denver move. Ireland worked with Payton for seven years in New Orleans, helping revive the franchise after a mid-2010s lull.

Given considerable credit for a Saints impact 2017 draft class that included Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson, Ireland has been the Saints’ college scouting director since his arrival in 2015. Ireland, 53, is still better known for his Dolphins years. He spent six years as Miami’s GM, but after the team (during Matt Cassel‘s QB1 year in New England) won the 2008 AFC East title, no more playoff appearances commenced. Still, Ireland brings more experience to the table than most on this year’s GM market. He has also interviewed for a few jobs — the Panthers, Lions and Bears — from 2021-22.

Although Jerry and Stephen Jones still make the final calls, McClay has been indispensable for the Cowboys over the past several years. Dallas has continually hit on first-round picks, with fourth-rounder Dak Prescott quickly becoming the franchise’s centerpiece player. McClay, 57, has been with the Cowboys since 2003 and has not been a regular during GM hiring periods. His most recent connection to a GM job came when he turned down a Texans interview request in 2018; it will be interesting to see if McClay agrees to the Chargers meeting.

Peters has received requests from the Commanders and Raiders. It would not be surprising to see every team request a meeting with the 49ers’ assistant GM, given the success the team has achieved during the Kyle ShanahanJohn Lynch years. Gray is on the Raiders’ list as well, with Brown — following his second year as the Giants’ assistant GM — on the Panthers’ radar.

Raiders Request GM Interviews With Trey Brown, Terrance Gray; Champ Kelly To Be Interviewed

Two more Raiders GM interview requests have come in. The Raiders are interested in meeting with Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown and Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Brown’s inclusion is interesting due to the Raiders’ past with the young executive. The team met with Brown in 2019 and again in 2022. Gray has not previously interviewed for a GM job. These two AFC staffers join 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters and Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds in being on the Raiders’ list of interview hopefuls. Dodds joined Brown in meeting with Mark Davis and Co. during the 2022 search that produced a Dave Ziegler hire.

When the Raiders met with Brown in 2019, he held the Eagles’ director of college scouting position. Brown, 38, ascended to that job at just 31. He began his run as an NFL scout back in 2010 with the Patriots. Brown held front office positions with two short-lived leagues between his Eagles and Bengals gigs, working with the Alliance of American Football and second XFL iteration. The Bengals promoted Brown to his current post in 2022.

Gray has 20 years’ experience as an NFL staffer, working for the Chiefs and Vikings prior to his recent run with the Bills. Gray logged 11 years in Minnesota, coming up under Rick Spielman through the scouting ranks. Upon taking the Buffalo GM job in 2017, Brandon Beane hired Gray. He has held his director of player personnel title since 2022. Gray will likely meet with the Raiders later this week, per SI.com’s Albert Breer.

The Bills lost their assistant GM, Joe Schoen, to the Giants that year. Considering Buffalo’s success during Beane’s stay, it stands to reason Gray will be a name to watch on the GM interview circuit. While the Bengals saw Joe Burrow‘s injury impede their route back to the playoffs, the team has qualified for two AFC championship games during Brown’s years in Cincinnati.

While these four candidates may all interview, the Raiders will indeed meet with interim GM Champ Kelly, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes. Davis said the team is likely to hire a GM before a head coach, though he indicated that is not a locked-in strategy. Kelly is expected to draw interest from other teams as well. The popular exec had built some momentum during his final weeks in the interim role, with a December report indicating he is more likely to stay than Antonio Pierce.

No Jim Harbaugh-like candidate exists thus far on Las Vegas’ GM interview list, so Kelly may not have the kind of competition Pierce stands to during this process. Though, if the Raiders are serious about Harbaugh, it would be a near certainty they would work with the Michigan HC to pair him with an approved GM. Davis is also considering a president of football operations-type hire that would be in this mix as well, complicating the AFC West franchise’s offseason.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

Week 18 is in the books, meaning the top 18 draft slots are locked in going into the offseason. The Commanders, Patriots, Cardinals and Chargers all lost. Only the Bolts changed positions, by virtue of the Giants’ win over the Eagles. The Giants, however, only dropped one spot through their home win.

The Falcons and Saints’ efforts to upend the Buccaneers in the NFC South did not pan out, with Tampa Bay beating two-win Carolina in its regular-season finale. This will keep Atlanta and New Orleans in much better draft positions. Despite finishing 8-9, Tampa Bay now cannot move past No. 19 without a trade.

While the Bears’ seminal decision — Justin Fields or Caleb Williams, seemingly, with all the trade and contract factors that go along with this forthcoming choice — will headline the leadup to this draft, the Commanders have secured the No. 2 selection and will have their own call to make. New owner Josh Harris showed he will help drive his front office to moves that will load up draft capital, as the Montez Sweat and Chase Young trades showed, and he is all but certain to hire a new regime in the coming weeks.

The draft’s second-best quarterback will be available to Washington, which saw its Sam Howell wire-to-wire season fail to solidify him as the team’s surefire long-term QB. Will Washington become closely connected to Howell’s North Carolina successor (Drake Maye)? The Commanders’ call will help shape how the Patriots proceed, unless New England — which is also all but certain to move on from Bill Belichick and start anew — completes a trade-up effort.

As the postseason determines the bottom 14 draft slots, here is how the top 18 look after the regular season:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Washington Commanders: 4-13
  3. New England Patriots: 4-13
  4. Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-12
  6. New York Giants: 6-11
  7. Tennessee Titans: 6-11
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Chicago Bears: 7-10
  10. New York Jets: 7-10
  11. Minnesota Vikings: 7-10
  12. Denver Broncos: 8-9
  13. Las Vegas Raiders: 8-9
  14. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  15. Indianapolis Colts: 9-8
  16. Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 9-8
  19. Green Bay Packers: 9-8
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 9-8
  21. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  22. Los Angeles Rams: 10-7
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-7
  24. Miami Dolphins: 11-6
  25. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-6
  26. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-6
  27. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  28. Detroit Lions: 12-5
  29. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 12-5
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 13-4

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/24

The last week of pregame transactions and gameday callups for several teams this season:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Placed on IR: T Mike McGlinchey
  • Activated from IR: T Alex Palczewski
  • Signed to active roster: CB Art Green
  • Elevated: S Devon Key

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Placed on IR: TE Hunter Henry
  • Signed to active roster: TE La’Michael Pettway
  • Elevated: TE Matt SokolOL Andrew Stueber

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Several teams whose season is set to come to an end tomorrow have elected to move injured players to injured reserve in order to create roster spots for practice squad options, particularly those who have had their three gameday elevations exhausted. In the case of the Broncos, McGlinchey will see his debut campaign in the Mile High City come to a premature end. Signed to a five-year, $87.5MM deal, the 28-year-old was part of a revamped O-line which did not produce the desired rebound on offense. Manning his usual right tackle spot, McGlinchey was charged with eight sacks and 49 pressures allowed by PFF, resulting in an overall grade of 67.5.

While the Giants will have an interesting decision to make with respect to Xavier McKinney‘s future, they will have Pinnock on the books for at least one more season. The latter’s rookie contract is set to expire following the 2024 campaign, one in which he will no doubt remain a vital member of New York’s secondary. Pinnock has recorded 85 tackles, two interceptions (including a 102-yard pick-six), six pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles while logging over 1,000 defensive snaps this season. A return to health and a continuation of his 2023 level of play will be sorely needed next fall.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/24

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: S Jeremy Lucien

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: TE E.J. Jenkins
  • Placed on practice squad injured list: TE Cole Fotheringham

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn
  • Released: LS Alex Matheson

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts Jan. 8. P-squad contracts expire seven days after the regular season concludes, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reminds teams are not limited regarding the number of times they can elevate a player from a taxi squad during the playoffs. In the regular season, players are capped at three gameday elevations.

The Panthers are expected to sign Boone to a futures deal next week, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. After three years with the Vikings and two with the Broncos, Boone played in nine games with the Texans this season. As for Wright, this marks a reunion. While Wright’s first Panthers stay did not last long (Aug. 26-30), Carolina may need him due to Eddy Pineiro‘s hamstring injury.

Amid the Jets’ wave of O-line injuries, they signed Saffold. While the former Rams, Titans and Bills starter was with the Jets for several weeks, he did not see any game action in his 14th NFL season.