'Play For Them!' Buffalo Bills' Sean McDermott Reacts to Injuries

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott was adamant about a "next man up" mentality but knows the intangible losses that come with Matt Milano, Tre'Davious White, and DaQuan Jones.

The Buffalo Bills didn’t just lose on Sunday in London. They continued to lose key pieces to a defense with Super Bowl aspirations, players that, frankly, cannot be replaced.

In the 25-20 Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo lost perhaps its best defensive player, at least this season, in linebacker Matt Milano while also losing defensive tackle DaQuan Jones. These body blows came just a week after star cornerback Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in a statement win over the Miami Dolphins.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke on Wednesday about the fallacy of replacing such key contributors, and how they plan to attack the situation in front of them.

“You never ‘replace’ a player,” McDermott said. “And I don’t want to get into comparing players, I don’t think that’s healthy. Overall, it’s the responsibility of the person stepping in to do the job, and we have full confidence in that player—whoever that player is.”

Filling in for Jones, who may have been on his way to an All-Pro selection, will likely be a joint effort between defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Poona Ford. The latter’s size may get called into question, but both have put together stretches of good football. Losing out on Jones’ upside will be dearly missed, even with competent substitutes.

Milano celebrates a big play in front of the home crowd / © JAMIE GERMANO, Democrat and Chronicle

The gap Milano leaves is a bit trickier. Linebacker Terrel Bernard has developed quickly alongside Milano this year and may be tasked with additional responsibilities. Backups Tyrel Dodson and Dorian Williams figure to see additional playing time. On Wednesday, veteran linebacker A.J. Klein was signed to the 53-man roster.

Second-year pro, and former first-round pick, Kaiir Elam stepped in for White but struggled to contain Jacksonville’s talented receiving corps.

“Those guys aren’t able to play,” McDermott said, regarding the talents he lost in recent weeks. “A piece of it is playing for those guys, too, because they were a big piece of this team and still are, but they can’t help it so much now. So, we play for them.”

Once they’re back at the facility, Jones, Milano, and White will all be expected to contribute in any way they can, whether it be in the film room, locker room, or sideline. Even so, there’s almost nothing Buffalo can do to truly mend those holes.

The damage of those injuries, and the motivation to play for them, will be put on display against the New York Giants on Sunday.