Bills OL Mitch Morse Clears Concussion Protocol, Playing Against Bengals?

The veteran center left in the third quarter of Buffalo’s Week 15 victory over the Miami Dolphins with a head injury and has not played since.

As the Buffalo Bills (12-3) continue to prepare for their Week 17 battle with the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4), they may get a major reinforcement back on the offensive line. 

Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters Thursday that center Mitch Morse has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol. McDermott said it was a relief that Morse moved through the protocol quickly, without rushing the process. 

“Never take those lightly and always defer to that concussion protocol because it is – those are serious, and we take those seriously,” McDermott said. “So, I'm glad that he was able to make it back. And we'll see where he goes this week.”

Morse left Buffalo’s Week 15 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter. While in concussion protocol, the 30 year old missed Saturday’s Christmas Eve matchup with the Chicago Bears. 

Morse has also battled an elbow injury this season. He entered Week 15 having played in 11 games, taking 94 percent of Buffalo's offensive snaps. The Missouri product has been the anchor of Buffalo’s offensive line since leaving the Kansas City Chiefs for a four-year $44.5 million contract, making him the highest-paid center in the league at the time. Morse sighed a two-year extension with the Bills in March. 

While Morse’s return is great news for quarterback Josh Allen and new-found ground attack, his return to the lineup will be closely monitored. Morse has already sustained six reported concussions in his NFL career. After suffering a head injury against the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, the Bills gave Morse extra time to recover, despite clearing concussion protocol. 

Still, the veteran center fully expects to be back on the field for the Bills on Monday night. 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Morse said when asked playing against the Bengals. 

“I'd had two good years of mitigating everything I could, and this is one of those things, it was just unavoidable,” Morse added. “We handled it the right way. They were very precautious with me; I was very honest with them. You know, had some conversations with people that I cared about, and we just marched on.”

In Morse’s absence, Ryan Bates filled in at center, only to be relieved by guard Greg Van Roten for a brief spell after suffering a knee injury. Reserve lineman Ike Boettger filled in at guard for Bates. 

The Bills and Bengals are set for an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff Monday night from Paycor Stadium. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL

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