Buffalo Bills Place Chris Hairston On IR, Sign Chris Scott

The Buffalo Bills announced on Thursday morning that second-year offensive tackle Chris Hairston has been placed on Injured Reserve, bringing his season to an end. To fill his spot on the roster, the team signed free agent Chris Scott.

Hairston started eight games for the Bills this season, including the last five at right tackle. He left last Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a foot injury; Chan Gailey had not sounded optimistic about Hairston's availability all week, and now the 23-year-old won't be back until the 2013 season.

With Hairston out of the lineup, Sam Young will be the team's right tackle for the remainder of the season. That's assuming, of course, that he doesn't get injured himself; he is, after all, the team's third starting right tackle of the season (Hairston replaced veteran Erik Pears earlier in the season).

Scott is a third-year player out of Tennessee that was a fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. The 6'4", 319-pound lineman has played some tackle and some guard in his brief NFL career, and offers the Bills some depth at both spots over the last quarter of the season. He's also a player worth remembering heading into next season as a potential depth option for the future.