Examining who may and may not play Sunday against the Patriots

Bills tasked with finding the right roster combinations this week -- who will they elevate from the practice squad?

RB Frank Gore Jr. is one of Buffalo's practice squad players who could be elevated ahead of Sunday's game at New England / Rich Barnes/Getty Images

In a week where getting the win over the New England Patriots isn't the main priority for the Buffalo Bills, perhaps the biggest win for the AFC East champs would be getting out of Foxborough healthy.

The Bills are in a challenging spot, specifically from a managerial standpoint, as they are only allowed to elevate two players from their practice squad each week. Because of this, they simply will not be able to rest all of their starters. And even more challenging, three players who are currently on the practice squad are out of elevations, as WR Tyrell Shavers, WR Jalen Virgil, and TE Zach Davidson have already been called up three or more times, according to Bills beat reporter Sal Capaccio.

QB Mike White was signed to the active roster on Friday after the team released LB Nicholas Morrow, so the Bills do not have to use an elevation on White, who will serve as the third-string quarterback this weekend.

With the signing of QB Mike White to the active roster, the Bills can now use him as the backup to Mitch Trubisky after Josh Allen exists the game. That also allows two others to be elevated from the PS. Here's the roster and choices. A few guys are out of elevations. pic.twitter.com/GyiqY0TdTT

— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) January 3, 2025

So who will be the two players that get called up? The first name that probably comes to a lot of minds is S Micah Hyde, who could suit up for the final time in his career on Sunday. However, Bills head coach Sean McDermott ruled that out this past Monday at his press conference but did note that Hyde will be coaching/mentoring on the sideline.

Although Hyde is out of the picture, that does not eliminate one of the other safeties from getting elevated. The team could turn to Lewis Cine or Kareem Jackson to share the room with Cole Bishop and Cam Lewis so that Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin can continue to heal from their recent injuries. Or, the Bills could find it beneficial to have Hamlin out there to get him back up to speed for the playoffs since he's missed the last three weeks.

S Micah Hyde will continue to mentor the young defensive backs for the Bills on Sunday / News 8 WROC Photo

That being said, let's go to another position that fits the mold -- wide receiver. Between not wanting to risk any injuries to their starters while also trying to set an NFL record, elevating WR K.J. Hamler makes a lot of sense. But, we know how OC Joe Brady likes to use his running backs, so maybe the Bills would want to elevate Frank Gore Jr. and let him get the bulk of the carries to preserve the bodies of James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis.

Sure, they could elevate Hamler and Gore Jr., but it seems logical that they'll want to elevate at least one lineman, whether it's on offense or defense. Especially since McDermott already noted how he doesn't want to play his starting offensive line. Because of this, look for OL Will Clapp to get elevated. Or if you want to look at it from the defensive side, this could be DE Kingsley Jonathan's week.

Regardless, it'll be a numbers game, as the Bills will have until 4 pm EST on Saturday to elevate two players ahead of Sunday's regular season finale.

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