Tag: Buffalo

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox high fives Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen who just scored on a two-yard touchdown run during first half action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov 16, 2025 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

Report: Bills, TE Dawson Knox agree to 3-year contract

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tight end Dawson Knox is staying in Buffalo, agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the Bills, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

While contract details were not immediately available, the contract is believed to restructure his current deal to lower his scheduled $17 million salary cap number. His existing contract had one year remaining.

Speaking in January on “Monday Mornings With Mitch,” the podcast of former Bills center Mitch Morse, Knox said he anticipated the team to make changes to his contract.

“I know they want to bring me back, however they can’t know right now what the cap is going to be, how much money they’ll have to spend, what the market will be for tight ends,” Knox said. “Whether they’ll want to keep me under my current contact for one more year, or try to work out some type of extension.”

Knox, 29, said he communicated to the front office that he and his family have made Buffalo their home and he wanted to remain with the Bills.

Buffalo selected Knox in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

In 102 career games (83 starts), Knox has 229 catches for 2,694 yards with 27 touchdown receptions.

Last season, he appeared in all 17 games (12 starts) and caught 35 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) rushes for a touchdown after intercepting the first pass of the game by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Reports: Raiders trade for Bills CB Taron Johnson

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The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring veteran cornerback Taron Johnson and a seventh-round pick from the Buffalo Bills for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, according to multiple reports on Sunday night.

The Bills announced on Friday that Johnson, 29, was going to be released, reportedly as an apparent salary-cap casualty for a savings of $1.9 million. Instead, Buffalo is trading Johnson and a late draft pick — it has two in the seventh (from the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets) — for a sixth-rounder. The Raiders have two that round, including one from the Jets.

Johnson played in 13 regular-season games for the Bills last season, making eight starts at nickel cornerback and totaling 57 tackles and four passes defended. He also started one of two playoff games and made eight tackles.

He signed a three-year, $30.75 million extension in March 2024 with $17.82 million in guaranteed money.

Buffalo selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Weber State.

For his career, Johnson has 572 tackles, eight sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 48 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — in 113 regular-season games (87 starts) since 2018. He was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2023.

He also has 69 tackles, one sack, seven passes defensed and one interception, which he returned 101 yards for a touchdown against Baltimore in 2020, in 15 playoff games (12 starts).

–Field Level Media

Broncos win OT thriller over Bills, advance to AFC title game

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Wil Lutz hit a 23-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, to give the host Denver Broncos a 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

The Broncos will host the winner of Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans next Sunday with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

After Denver’s first overtime possession stalled out, the Bills were driving when a Josh Allen deep ball was intercepted by Ja’Quan McMillian.

The Broncos’ second OT drive was aided by a pair of pass interference penalties on the Bills which accounted for 47 yards and moved Denver into the red zone to set up the game-winning kick at the 4:44 mark.

Bo Nix, playing in Denver’s first home playoff game since 2015, completed 26 of 46 passes for 279 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Marvin Mims caught eight passes for 93 yards, including a go-ahead score with 55 seconds left in regulation.

Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto forced two fumbles and had a sack.

The Bills outgained the Broncos 449-349 but turned it over five times, their most in a game since October 2018.

Josh Allen was 25-of-39 passing for 283 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 66 yards but threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. James Cook III ran for 117 yards on 24 carries but also fumbled when the Bills had a chance to go ahead 14-3 in the second quarter.

After the Bills scored 17 straight points to take a 27-23 lead with 4:11 left in regulation, Nix led an eight-play, 73-yard drive to reclaim a late advantage. He converted a third-and-11 with a 25-yard pass and a third-and-4 with a 6-yard run before his go-ahead 26-yard touchdown pass to Mims.

Buffalo drove down the field on the ensuing drive and Matt Prater, a former Bronco, drilled a 50-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

The game was tied late in the first half after a Prater field goal before the Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds. After Nix found Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 29-yard score to cap off a two-minute drill, Devon Key recovered an Allen fumble on a keeper with 2 seconds left, setting up Lutz’s 50-yard field goal for a 20-10 advantage.

That lead was extended to 23-10 early in the third after another Bonitto forced fumble by sacking Allen. But Allen bounced back, giving the Bills a late lead with touchdown passes to Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid along with another drive which set up a Prater 31-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

Bills place DT Jordan Phillips on IR, sign CB Dane Jackson

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The Buffalo Bills placed veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on injured reserve Wednesday.

Phillips, 33, missed two games with an ankle injury before returning Sunday and playing 18 snaps in the 35-8 win against the New York Jets.

The season is over for Phillips, who recorded one sack and nine tackles in 11 games (one start).

A second-round pick by Miami in 2015, Phillips has 25 sacks, 26 passes defensed, 196 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 140 career games (63 starts) with the Dolphins, Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

The Bills (12-5) also signed cornerback Dane Jackson to the active roster ahead of Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game against the host Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4).

Jackson, 29, has played 31 total snaps (28 on special teams) and tallied three tackles in three games this season with the Bills.

Buffalo also signed quarterback Shane Buechele and rookie cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. to the practice squad.

–Field Level Media

Postgame X-rays negative on Bills QB Josh Allen’s foot

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Buffalo star quarterback Josh Allen’s injured right foot was examined after Sunday’s 13-12 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and X-rays were negative, Bills coach Sean McDermott said.

“Nothing new has popped up to this point,” McDermott said of Allen’s health.

Allen played Sunday after injuring the foot in a 23-20 road victory over the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 21 and being limited at practice during the week until full participation on Friday. The foot became sore on Sunday, but Allen said afterward it had “zero” effect on him during the game.

The 29-year-old played through the injury against Cleveland, and he did the same against Philadelphia, which sacked the 2024 NFL MVP five times on Sunday to put him on the wrong end of a career-high 40 sacks this season.

Allen completed 23 of 35 passes for 262 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 27 yards and the team’s only TDs. According to ESPN, it was the first time in Allen’s eight-year career that he attempted 20-plus passes in a game and all were from inside the pocket.

“Coming into the game, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had my eyes on Josh,” McDermott said. “Just because of how important he is to us. And we’re in the playoffs. But I also know who he is. And he’s as competitive as there is, and as good as there is, but I also have a responsibility to protect him to make sure he’s as healthy as possible for us as we move into the playoffs.

“You’ve gotta know, to get 17 off the field, you’re gonna have to … I’m gonna have to wrestle him.”

Allen has started 126 of the 127 career regular-season games, including all 16 this season and 121 in a row. He was selected on Tuesday to his fourth Pro Bowl.

The Bills (11-5) had already clinched a postseason berth but on Sunday, the New England Patriots secured the AFC East title. Buffalo concludes the regular season against the New York Jets (3-13) next Sunday with the result potentially impacting the Bills’ playoff seeding.

–Field Level Media

Expect no rest for playoff-bound Eagles, Bills

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Two playoff-bound teams with something to prove meet Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y.

The NFC East champion Eagles (10-5) want to show the doubters that their resurgent ground game is legitimate and not built on the backs of lesser opponents.

The Bills (11-4) are one game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East race with two games left and need to prove to themselves that they can stop the run.

Cold temperatures, a chance of precipitation and a heavy dose of Saquon Barkley are all in the forecast for the Week 17 clash at Highmark Stadium, where Buffalo is 6-1 this season.

Barkley has rushed for 332 yards with three touchdowns in the last three games to top the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his career. The Eagles are averaging 4.9 yards per carry during that span, which included an overtime road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a shutout of the Las Vegas Raiders and a 29-18 road win last weekend against the Washington Commanders.

“We’re starting to hit our stride and look to build upon that,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday.

The Bills have won four straight games to keep the pressure on the Patriots despite their struggles against the run. Buffalo ranks 30th in rushing defense (144.3 yards per game) and allows a whopping 5.4 yards per carry — second-most in the NFL to the New York Giants (5.5). Nobody has allowed as many touchdowns on the ground (24) as the Bills.

After allowing a season-high 246 rushing yards (and four TDs) in a Week 15 win at New England, Buffalo surrendered 160 yards on the ground in a 23-20 escape at Cleveland last weekend.

“We know who Saquon is. He’s a Hall of Fame player. Their offensive line is very talented as well,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday.

“… It’s a tough unit to stop. Their run game in particular is real. I know the numbers say (they’re down compared to last season), but I’m not buying the numbers.”

Philadelphia wants to run the football, chew up the clock and keep reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen and current NFL rushing leader James Cook (1,532 yards) on the sideline as much as possible.

It’s true that the Bills have more to play for than the Eagles, who are all but locked into the NFC’s No. 3 playoff seed. Philadelphia needs Chicago to lose out to have a chance to move up. Buffalo, which ends the regular season at home against the New York Jets, can still catch New England and win its sixth straight division title.

That said, Sirianni said there is no plan to rest his starters on Sunday.

“You do what you think is best for your football team, and we think playing our guys is the best thing for our football team,” Sirianni said.

“… This is an opportunity for us,” he added. “This is a week that we have to get better.”

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, who has missed the last five games with a foot injury, did not practice Wednesday along with left guard Landon Dickerson (illness), linebacker Nakobe Dean (hamstring) and wide receiver A.J. Brown, who reportedly had his wisdom teeth removed. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulders) was a full participant after missing three games.

For the Bills, Allen (foot) was limited Wednesday but expected to play Sunday. Defensive end Joey Bosa (hamstring), defensive tackles DaQuan Jones (calf) and Jordan Phillips (ankle), tight ends Dalton Kincaid (knee) and Dawson Knox (knee), safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) and kicker Matt Prater (quad) did not practice.

–Field Level Media

Bills star QB Josh Allen (foot) sits out walkthrough

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Buffalo star quarterback Josh Allen missed Tuesday’s walkthrough with a right foot injury but said he plans on playing Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I feels good. Ready to go,” Allen said. “It’s still sore. Walthrough today, so, really, not practice in general.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott said ahead of Tuesday’s session that he expects Allen to be available. The coach had said on Monday that Allen’s status was day to day.

“No real changes,” McDermott said. “Today was just a chance really to get around him a little bit and see how he’s feeling today. Obviously, a little sore. Not going to practice today. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

Allen was hurt on a sack with 1:09 left in the second quarter of last Sunday’s 23-20 road win over the Cleveland Browns. He stayed for one more play, a 1-yard quarterback run, before walking to the locker room with athletic trainers. His foot was X-rayed and he was cleared to return to the game.

He played through the injury and was 12 of 19 for 130 passing yards and had seven carries for 17 yards. After the game, Allen said that he “tweaked my foot a little bit” but was “good.”

Allen, 29, has started 125 of the 126 career regular-season games, including all 15 this season and 120 in a row. He has completed 69.6% of his passes for 3,406 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Allen also has 105 carries for 552 yards and 12 TDs.

The 2024 NFL MVP was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time on Tuesday.

Buffalo (11-4) hosts Philadelphia (10-5) on Sunday with the Bills having clinched an AFC playoff berth as a wild card and the Eagles as NFC East champion.

–Field Level Media

Bills sign K Michael Badgley to replace injured starter Matt Prater

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The Buffalo Bills signed kicker Michael Badgley to the practice squad Tuesday with starter Matt Prater ruled out for Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

In a corresponding move, the Bills released cornerback M.J. Devonshire. The 25-year-old has not played in an NFL game.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that Prater was week-to-week with a right quadriceps injury and will not play when the Bills (10-4) visit the Browns (3-11).

Badgley, 30, played in seven games for the Indianapolis Colts this season and was 10 of 11 (90.9%) on field-goal attempts, including 4-for-4 from 40-49 yards and 2-for-3 from 50-plus. He also was 18 of 21 (85.7%) on extra-point attempts.

For his career, Badgley is 108 of 130 (83.1%) on field-goal attempts and 186 of 196 (94.9%) on extra-point attempts in 71 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Chargers (2018-2020), Tennessee Titans (2021), Colts (2021, 2025), Chicago Bears (2022) and Detroit Lions (2022-23).

Prater, 41, is 18 of 20 (90%) on field-goal attempts and 43 of 46 (93.5%) on extra-point kicks in 14 games for the Bills in his 19th season in the league. Tyler Bass, the starter from 2020-24, went on injured reserve before Week 1 due to a left hip/groin injury and had season-ending surgery earlier this month.

–Field Level Media

Bills sign WR Brandin Cooks

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Well-traveled wide receiver Brandin Cooks signed with his sixth NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, on Tuesday.

Cooks had reached an agreement with the New Orleans Saints to be released on Saturday, and he became a free agent after clearing waivers. The 12-year veteran, who played with the Saints in his first three NFL seasons, had 19 catches for 165 yards while playing in 10 games (three starts) in 2025. He signed a two-year deal worth up to $13 million with New Orleans in March.

The 32-year-old has totaled 729 receptions for 9,697 yards and 60 touchdowns in 168 career regular-season games (147 starts) with the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and Saints.

He also has 35 receptions for 494 yards in seven playoff games (all starts) with the Patriots (2017), Rams (2018) and Cowboys (2023).

He was selected by New Orleans with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) on the field after a game against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills placing S Damar Hamlin (pectoral) on injured reserve

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The Buffalo Bills are placing safety Damar Hamlin and rookie defensive tackle T.J Sanders on injured reserve, coach Sean McDermott said Saturday.

The Bills (4-1) also ruled out linebacker Matt Milano for Monday night’s road game against the Atlanta Falcons (2-2).

Hamlin (pectoral), Milano (pectoral) and Sanders (knee) were all absent from Friday’s practice.

The IR designation means Hamlin and Sanders will miss a minimum of four games. Their earliest return would be the Bills’ Week 11 home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hamlin, 27, has recorded one tackle in five games this season, playing 49 of his 61 total snaps on special teams.

Sanders, 22, did not play in last Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots. He has two tackles in four games.

Milano, 31, has collected 15 tackles and one sack in three games (all starts) this season, his ninth with Buffalo.

–Field Level Media