Jordan Poyer returns to practice; Josh Allen limited

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott met with the media again Wednesday mid-day, and the big news was that the team would have to adjust their practice schedule as they prepare for Sunday’s game with the Cleveland Browns.

According to McDermott, five players—fullback Reggie Gilliam, linebacker Matt Milano, defensive back Cam Lewis, and defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle—are all suffering from an undisclosed illness. However, McDermott did indicate that the illness is not COVID-related.

While that list is a little scary, with four days until game day, it’s likely that they will recover and be available by game time.

On the “not practicing” list, McDermott added linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who left Sunday’s game with the Minnesota Vikings right before halftime with a groin injury; defensive end Greg Rousseau, who enters his second full week recovering from a high ankle sprain; and receiver Jake Kumerow, who is dealing with a high ankle sprain for the second time this season.

In better news, McDermott said that safety Jordan Poyer, who has been sidelined for the past two weeks after injuring—or re-injuring, perhaps—his elbow, will be practicing on Wednesday.

“He will be out there,” McDermott said when asked about Poyer’s expected participation.

Other good news for the Buffalo defense is that rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam, who injured his ankle in Week 9 and was inactice Sunday against the Vikings, was back to practice as well. Elam was limited, but that is much better than being on a stationary bike on the sidelines - which is where he was last week.

As for quarterback Josh Allen, McDermott fell back on his “day to day” mantra, but clarified that there was no new injury to the quarterback, but a continuation of the elbow injury Allen has been dealing with since the end of the Bills’ Week 9 loss to the New York Jets.

“Not because anything changed, but because we reassess every day,” McDermott said in reference to where the team stands on Allen’s injury.

Of course, another big question still looms: When will cornerback Tre’Davious White be on the game day roster? The answer from One Bills Drive is still unclear.

“The next step is just getting him back to the level he feels he needs to be at. It’s not just conditioning, but other things that factor into that,” McDermott stated, adding that White is not calling the shots on the timetable for his return, but that it is a team effort to get all the boxes checked before getting the cornerback into a game. “He’ll play when he’s ready.”

McDermott may have hinted at some possible frustration on his end when he added that it was similar to coming out of training camp, saying that there are always going to be some gaps. “But at some point, we have to go.”

A full injury list is below.