Bills Add to Roster as Injury Woes Continue

The Buffalo Bills have had bad luck this offseason with injuries. It started with first round pick Shaq Lawson having surgery and being out for the first few weeks of the season, but now injuries have swarmed the Bills. Second round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft Reggie Ragland was injured his knee during Friday’s practice. This led the Bills to bring back linebacker Brandon Spikes, who had a stint with the team back in 2014, the last time he played on a team’s active roster. While the injury to Ragland is significant, Rex Ryan still knows how important bringing in a guy like Spikes is.

“I can tell you this, I mean, you better buckle that chinstrap up when you’re going against [Spikes]. And that’s a guy that’ll hit you,” Rex said. “He’s a force in the run. So that was kind of what—we’re giving him an opportunity. He was out there, came out, worked, you know, he worked out and our guys were impressed so that’s why we signed him.”

As for Spikes, he looks at the time off as a positive, and took full advantage of it to help bring him back to the NFL. “I had to reevaluate my life, get my priorities in order and I had to look back and see what’s most important to me. That’s my family, most important, and football,” said Spikes.

He added, “So, with that being said, I think that whole year off, it helped me get my chip back on my shoulder, that desire, that burning fire to be great. When you face a little bit of adversity, I was always taught, they don’t judge a man from what he does when he gets punched in the face, once he falls. So, I’m here to tell my story. Like I said, that’s in the past, I’m moving forward. I’m just here to help this team, these younger guys…I’m just happy for the opportunity.”

Defensive tackle Kyle Williams who is making his way back from injury, knows the impact that Spikes can have on the team and how important it is to have that familiarity with him.

“Yeah, Rex asked me about him before they brought him in to work him out. And I said he is one of those guys that you hate when you play against him, but you love when he’s on your team,” said Williams. “He was a great teammate when he was here. He’s dove head-first in the 24 hours he’s been here trying to learn the playbook and get ready to go and get ready to play. We know what to expect from him because we’ve played a lot of plays with and he knows what to expect from us.”Meanwhile, with Ragland, it is unknown how long he will be out due to swelling.

“And then obviously, no update on Reggie Ragland. We’re still—he’s getting treatment. Still waiting on that swelling on his knee to go down, and they’re also trying to get movement. More range of motion, I guess, in there. Anyway, that’s the update on Reggie,” Rex said.

Ryan went on to mention injuries to left tackle Cordy Glenn, who injured his left ankle; offensive tackle Richie Incognito, who has sore ribs; and cornerback Corey White, who has a knee contusion. Both Glenn and Incognito are getting treatment for their injuries.

Spikes was not the only player the Bills had to bring in. Former New Orleans Saints linebacker David Hawthorne was also brought in to help fill a role, as well as tight end and Kansas University standout Jimmay Mundine. Last season Hawthorne played in 11 games, starting in five of them. He had 20 total tackles and 13 assists before being released by the team back in February. He has come in to replace linebacker Kevin Reddick, who injured his knee and continues the unfortunate luck that the Bills have had when it comes to their players’ health. Mundine is brought onto his second team after being signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He is known for having the most touchdowns by a tight end in Kansas University football history, as well as being ranked third in receiving yards by Kansas tight ends with 1,082 and receptions with 86. The 24-year old is replacing tight end Jim Dray, who injured his ankle on Friday. Despite all of the negativity surrounding the injuries, Rex still remains optimistic and likes where the team is at right now.

“I think by the time we kick it off for real, we should be in good shape”, Rex said.

He continued, “I thought we did a great job as an organization in bringing in guys that we think fit, you know, what we want to have as linebackers. Just as an example, we bring in some guys we feel good about. Guys that have played in this league. Guys who we think can catch up mentally. And I think that’s a real, real tribute to our scouting department.”

Rex also points to guys like defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus, as well as wide receiver Sammy Watkins being out there as good signs that things are looking up going forward. The Bills play their first preseason game on Saturday as they look toward the regular season start against the Baltimore Ravens.