The Buffalo Bills won’t have three starters against the Seattle Seahawks this weekend. Center Mitch Morse, cornerback Josh Norman, and linebacker Matt Milano were declared out by head coach Sean McDermott on a sponsored appearance on a local radio station in Buffalo.
Morse suffered a concussion on the first drive last Sunday against the New England Patriots. It’s his fifth documented NFL concussion. Jon Feliciano slid over to center after the drive despite just returning from injured reserve for the game. While Feliciano was expected to be on a snap count, the injury forced him into playing the entire game and he acquitted himself well.
Norman has been dealing with hamstring issues all year. He missed the first three weeks of the season, played for three weeks, and has now missed three more weeks. Levi Wallace returned from his own injury to start in place of Norman, but it’s an excellent showcase for why you need multiple cornerbacks. With two great receivers in Seattle, it’s going to be a challenging game for the secondary.
Speaking of the passing defense, it’s going to take a big hit at linebacker. After missing Weeks 5 and 6 with a pec strain, he was limited in Weeks 7 and 8 against AFC East opponents, and they are returning him to the bench in Week 9. His coverage ability was a huge asset they will be missing against Russell Wilson.
No word yet on guard Cody Ford (leg). Safety Micah Hyde, who missed last week with a concussion, is out of the protocol and on track to play.