Multiple rookies have new roles, made splash plays despite loss to Ravens
The NFL can be a humbling experience for some of the best teams operating at a near-peak performance. The Buffalo Bills were reassured of that last Sunday when they fell 35-10 to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills were off to a sizzling start this season and had designs on carrying some of that momentum into an away primetime performance against a familiar conference foe.
Plans didn’t go accordingly.
A blowout loss tends to highlight very little positive from individuals on the roster, but there was some intrigue to Sunday’s game that included an important (and sudden) entrance to the game for one of the team’s youngsters.
Before we move on to the Houston Texans this weekend, there are plenty of story lines to get to and guys who will need to step up in future weeks. Let’s dive in to recap how the Bills’ rookie class fared in Week 4.
WR Keon Coleman
Coleman showed off what he does best against the Ravens, which is going up and attacking the football. Coleman failed to haul in his first opportunity downfield — a play where he was able to leverage himself for what would have been an explosive gain down the left sideline. He was unable to flip his hands and attack the ball, which resulted in a contested catch that some would (fairly) categorize as a drop.
Coleman came back and caught two more balls up the left sideline with excellent adjustment to nab the football — with quarterback Josh Allen placing the ball on Coleman’s back shoulder on each target. Coleman’s basketball background shows up in his ball skills just as it did while he was in college. Using contortion plus the ability to pluck, highpoint, and box out on any given play should help Coleman in his career.
Overall, Coleman caught three of four targets totaling 51 yards. He was the team’s second-leading receiver on the night, and he led the receiver room in snaps.
Allen finds @keoncoleman6 for a big gain!
— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2024
: #BUFvsBAL on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/WoF40JITLh
S Cole Bishop
Bishop was forced into fulltime duty in the first half when safety Taylor Rapp left the game with a concussion. Bishop played every defensive snap (41) after Rapp left the field. The Ravens are one of the most difficult assignments for a safety due to the need and “want-to” involved with getting downhill to bring down a running back as challenging as Derrick Henry. Bishop did a solid job of that while Damar Hamlin and others struggled to maintain as run defenders.
Bishop made six tackles on the night after taking the field. We’ll see if Rapp is good to return on Sunday. If not, Bishop will have the task of facing a much different pass-heavy offense featuring wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Good recognition by Bishop pic.twitter.com/L5NN2KWDHX
— Cover 1 (@Cover1) September 30, 2024
DT DeWayne Carter
It hadn’t been a great start to the season for Carter, with him failing to make an impact on plenty of occasions. Against the Raven, Carter flashed with an eye-popping goal-line tackle-for-loss on Derrick Henry. We’re still not seeing enough consistency from Carter, but he did play more due to Austin Johnson being dinged. Carter was operating as the third defensive tackle and, thus, played 46% of the snaps.
Building consistency will be key the Duke product, but it was good to finally see him make a significant play during a key moment.
— Film Collins (@filmcollins01) October 1, 2024
RB Ray Davis
Davis only had 10 snaps on Sunday night and failed to make a real impact when the game hung in the balance. Admittedly, the entire offense sputtered all evening. Davis was given some mop-up work, but he only came up with 11 yards on seven carries.
Davis is the future RB2 on this team, but veteran running back Ty Johnson continues to eat into his looks (11 snaps).
IOL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
It was more clean-up duty for Van Pran-Granger in this one with eight snaps at the end of the game when Buffalo was essentially trying to run the clock out with the second unit. He continues to be consistently active on game days.
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
Edefuan Ulofoshio has yet to be active for a game this season, despite injuries to linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard. Undrafted rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen has gotten the nod for two straight games. With Bernard set to return soon, we likely won’t see much (if any) of Ulofoshio in 2024.
EDGE Javon Solomon
One of the biggest story lines to follow of any rookie is Solomon’s newfound path to playing time for the Bills’ defense. He only recorded three snaps in the end sequences of the game, recording a tackle and a quarterback hit on two of those snaps. Solomon’s made the most of his opportunities, but he should see his chances increase in the next four weeks. With veteran edge rusher Von Miller suspended the next four games, Buffalo will need to find juice off the edge to get after the passer.
Solomon has been impressed in limited snaps so far this year. With more opportunity, it’s worth monitoring to see if Solomon can leverage his impressive athleticism and pass-rush arsenal into even more impactful plays just five weeks into his NFL career. Being a fifth-round draft selection, Solomon is already punching above his expectations this early on as a rookie.
OL Tylan Grable
Grable was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) after suffering a core muscle injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has to wait three more games until being eligible to return to the field.
CB/Returner Daequan Hardy
Hardy remains on the practice squad through four games, failing to be elevated for any game.
OL Travis Clayton
The International Pathway Program seventh-round pick is out for the season and on full-season IR with a shoulder injury.
LB Joe Andreessen
Andreessen benefited from Bernard being sidelined due to injury. For the second straight week, the Bills brought him up to the active roster. He played three snaps at the end of the game. We may see another week of Andreessen before Bernard returns to the field, potentially bumping him back down to the practice squad.
CB/Returner Brandon Codrington
Codrington didn’t have the best performance in Week 4, as he muffed a punt and was fortunate enough to dive back on it. We’ll keep an eye on Codrington’s consistency fielding the ball in future weeks.