After the Buffalo Bills released former starting outside linebacker Chris Ellis on Monday, head coach Chan Gailey was asked about the team's situation at the position. Gailey mentioned two rookies - sixth-round pick Arthur Moats and undrafted free agent Antonio Coleman - as young guys that the team liked and were poised to reward with more playing time.
"The other two guys we like, we like Coleman and Moats," Gailey said. "They're coming on, and that was one of the reasons we made the decision with Chris that we made. We felt like those two players are coming on now."
His review of 2009 first-round pick Aaron Maybin? Let's just say it was not as nice.
"Aaron's struggling right now," Gailey said. "He really is. He's struggling to get on the field, and when he gets his opportunities, he's struggling to make plays. We've got to continue to work with him to see how he develops... He's just got to step up his game when he gets opportunities and make things happen."
According to data from The Buffalo News, Maybin has seen a total of seven defensive snaps in Buffalo's last two games. He got a considerable amount of playing time in New England, but Buffalo spent most of that game in nickel and dime packages, where Maybin lines up at defensive end. He has yet to see any time in a base 3-4 package, and is not playing on special teams, either.
Maybin will likely continue his role as a nickel and dime defensive end, but with Buffalo incapable of stopping the run, they're not likely to be playing out of that package too often any time soon. It seems obvious at this point that Coleman and Moats - who is currently out with an elbow injury - will be seeing time at outside linebacker well before Maybin does.