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Alaina Getzenberg, ESPNDec 13, 2024, 02:26 PM ET
- Alaina Getzenberg is a staff writer who covers the Buffalo Bills and the NFL. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow her via Twitter @agetzenberg.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills will get a boost to the offense for the team’s matchup against the Detroit Lions as rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman is set to return to the field. He will not have an injury designation for the game, said coach Sean McDermott on Friday.
Coleman missed the last four games due to a wrist injury suffered near the end of the team’s Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. He has 22 receptions for 417 yards and three touchdowns in nine games.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a whole lot to rebuild,” quarterback Josh Allen said on his chemistry with Coleman. “A lot of work in training camp and in the offseason getting to do that. Going back to my rookie season, I got hurt. I missed a few games, and I felt like sometimes that rookie wall, which is real, when you miss time and you come back, you’re just so rejuvenated. Silver lining, that could be a good thing. Where he got to sit back and learn and watch [Amari Cooper] and obviously get his body right and be fresh going into this final stretch. Hopefully, we get him back on the field soon and he’ll help us out.”
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The Bills, however, do have some question marks for the game in terms of injuries. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) will be questionable, per McDermott, after missing the last three games.
On defense, starting cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) has been ruled out, and McDermott said that they “have a pretty good idea” who will be starting in his place, but didn’t want to announce during his press conference. Former undrafted free agent Ja’Marcus Ingram came in for Douglas after he was injured, while former first-round pick Kaiir Elam has been a healthy scratch the last three games.
Starting safeties Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (back/ribs) will also be questionable after Hamlin was added to the injury report on Thursday, giving the team three starting defensive backs dealing with injuries ahead of facing the league’s No. 1 scoring offense on Sunday (4:25 p.m. EST, CBS).
“They were looking at some things. Honestly, I think [head athletic trainer Nate Breske] felt pretty good that it wasn’t going to be an issue, and then [Thursday] afternoon it became an issue, more than we expected at that point,” McDermott said.
Defensive end Casey Toohill (ribs), tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder/groin), offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin), defensive end Dawuane Smoot (wrist), linebacker Baylon Spector (calf).
