Two injured defenders return to Bills' practice after month-long absence

The Buffalo Bills opened the 21-day activation window for a defensive end and a linebacker.

Ralph Ventre | 15 Hours Ago

Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot (94) tackles Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills may soon again have the services of rotational defensive end Dawuane Smoot and second-string linebacker Baylon Spector.

The two men, who remain on Injured Reserve, were full participants at Wednesday's walkthrough practice in Orchard Park.

"Baylon, we'll open his window, and Smoot as well, today," said head coach Sean McDermott.

The Bills now have 21 days to activate the two players and re-add them to the 53-man roster. Both have been on IR since early November.

Spector injured his calf while practicing ahead of Buffalo's Week 10 road game against the Indianapolis Colts. The 2022 seventh-round draft pick appeared in the first nine games of the season, starting three for a linebacking corps that was missing both Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard at one point.

The 26-year-old Spector is an important piece on special teams in kick coverage. He logged 126 snaps on specials over the first nine weeks.

Smoot, the former Jacksonville Jaguars' starter, joined the Bills on a one-year contract this past offseason. He was unavailable until Week 3 due to a toe injury and showed flashes after finally taking the field. Over 213 snaps, he totaled 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks.

Suffering a wrist injury against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, Smoot needed surgery and landed on IR two days after the 30-27 home win.

The Bills' pass rush could use a boost. The unit was unable to sack Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford in the 44-42 road loss on December 8.

The Bills (10-3) visit the Detroit Lions (12-1) on December 15, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Smoot and/or Spector back in action for the Week 15 outing.

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, MD; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) is tackled after catching a pass by Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) and Bills linebacker Baylon Spector (54) / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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