Buffalo Bills right guard Kraig Urbik has not played since the team's Week 4 loss to the New England Patriots, when he left early due to a high ankle sprain. He made an attempt to practice two weeks ago prior to the team's game against the Tennessee Titans, but wasn't healthy enough to play.
Having missed three games and endured a bye week, is Urbik ready to return to the lineup? His answer to that question at One Bills Driver earlier this afternoon sums it up nicely.
"I'm playing on Sunday no matter what," Urbik told reporters.
Urbik's return would be a huge boost for a Bills offensive line that has struggled in spots over the past month, and is painfully thin on depth on the interior line. The team has already lost reserve Colin Brown for the season, and top backup Chad Rinehart is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, as well. Getting Urbik back not only gets a starter into the lineup, but it returns the team's backup center to the fold, as well.
Until Rinehart returns to full health, it's looking like backup right tackle Sam Young will remain the team's top backup at both guard and tackle - unless, of course, rookie left tackle Cordy Glenn also returns to the lineup this week, relegating Young to fourth tackle status again. Either way, you can expect him to be active on game days as, at minimum, the seventh healthy lineman. The only other interior reserve at the moment is undrafted rookie free agent David Snow.
Glenn, who was spotted working to the side with trainers during the Bills' only bye week practice last Wednesday, is also practicing today. The second-round pick out of Georgia has also been dealing with a high ankle sprain, but no prognosis has been set for his potential availability in Week 9. Stay tuned.