Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills Roster Updates: Darby, Robey-Coleman, Harvin, Dareus & More

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 2, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan looks on during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Ryan knows that the Buffalo Bills’ backs are up against the wall. That’s why the team made several updates to the lineup this week.

Bills head coach Rex Ryan was very blunt in a recent press conference. Based on his responses, it’s quite clear he knows the team is running out of playoff rope fast. In an attempt to shake things up on the team, the Bills cut a player, signed a new player, and are considering new starters at several positions on both offense and defense. According to New York Upstate, Ryan said:

“We’re going to have competition in a lot of different spots this week and give guys opportunities to earn starting nods”

Part of the problem is the team’s inability in coverage and plenty of the changes this week came in the secondary. The other problems according to Ryan are physicality and technique. According to ESPN he said:

“I’m tired of mistakes and I think we’ve got to get better physically as well and if that’s through technique and all that, that’s what it’s going to be. I’m not here to make friends, man. I’m here to win.”

Want your voice heard? Join the BuffaLowDown team!

Rex has had enough and he seems pretty angry. I don’t expect him to all the sudden become a disciplinarian like Bill Belichick or Tom Coughlin but he’s probably a little less tolerant for B.S. than he has been in the past. It’s a positive thing that Ryan knows there is little room left for error this season and I applaud him for trying to shake up the roster a bit.

Some of the names involved in that shakeup are Darby, Robey-Coleman, White, Seymour, Groy, Lewis, Henderson, Kouandjio and Mills. In addition to covering that we’ll also cover Percy Harvin and Marcell Dareus with updates on their status for Sunday and Duke Williams being cut and replaced with James Ihedigbo.

Oct 9, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans former players, Buffalo Bills cornerback Kevon Seymour (29), Los Angeles Rams strong safety T.J. McDonald (25), Buffalo Bills defensive back Nickell Robey (21) and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10), pose after a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Bills defeated the Rams 30-19. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The battle for the nickel corner position between Nickell Robey-Coleman and Kevon Seymour goes to Seymour this week.

Over the early part of the season, Nickell Robey-Coleman was playing better than any other Bills secondary player and was among the top nickel cornerbacks in the league. His play has slipped since then, but it was still surprising that the Bills targeted him as the cornerback who wasn’t performing, considering how Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby are struggling worse.

In a quote reported by ESPN, Robey-Coleman admits he lost the starting job this week to rookie Kevon Seymour.

“I ain’t really get no reps today. Everything was all Kevon. I think it’s pretty much gonna be all Kevon from here. That’s where it’s at right now. It’s gonna be all Kevon Seymour.”

It’s encouraging that Rex Ryan has enough confidence in the rookie to thrust him into the starting nickel corner spot. Seymour has the potential to be a steal in the draft as he had unknown issues with his eyesight in college and that was corrected after the draft once they were identified. Now that he can see clearly, his ability to track the ball should improve greatly.

Robey-Coleman’s assessment that it’s Seymour’s role for the year might not be so accurate. Part of the reason why he isn’t starting this week is the height that the Bengals bring in their receiving corps. Their top four tight ends and receivers by yardage this year are A.J. Green (6’4″), Brandon LaFell (6’3″), Tyler Boyd (6’2″) and Tyler Eifert (6’6″). At 5’8″ Robey-Coleman would have had an uphill battle all game against any of those guys.

Kevon Seymour at 6’0″ stands a much better chance if he ends up matched up with the 6’6″ Eifert during the game. Nickel corner wasn’t the only starting spot in the Bills secondary which was up for grabs this week. Find out more about whether Ronald Darby or Corey White will start this along with Stephon Gilmore.

The Buffalo Bills benched Ronald Darby last week in favor of Corey White. Who will start this week?

In the Bills’ last game against the Seattle Seahawks, sophomore cornerback Ronald Darby struggled in the game. The Bills brought in Corey White to replace him and White ended up getting 45 snaps to Darby’s 24 in the game. It opened up a debate about who would start this week against the Bengals.

Earlier in the week it looked like they were going to give Corey White the job. The team was serious about benching Darby who is not playing anywhere near the level he played last season. According to WKBW, Rex Ryan said:

“Ronald Darby is an outstanding talent. We need Ronald Darby to play the way he’s capable of playing and what we think he’s capable of playing.”

Want your voice heard? Join the BuffaLowDown team!

There is no doubt that Darby needs to play better but out of the Bills two starting cornerbacks many would argue that Gilmore has been the worse player. So why sit down Darby instead of Gilmore? Part of the reason might be due to height. As cited on the last slide, the Bengals main receiving threats are all over 6’2″. Both White and Gilmore stand two inches taller than Darby and the Bills might have been thinking that they want to go with more height in the secondary.

Darby has responded well to the wake-up call and even had his best practice of the season on Wednesday according to Rex Ryan. Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman’s assessment dovetails with Ryan’s. According to the team’s own site, he said:

“He’s responded well. You know, that’s what it’s all about. Everybody has a job to do. You’ve got to go out there and do your job. I mean to have competition is a good thing. You know, in this league, you don’t ever want to ever get comfortable. If you get comfortable, somebody’s looking to take your job. When you get comfortable, it’s not a good thing.”

It really is an open competition at this point and could go either way. No matter who starts they are going to be on a short leash because Rex is tired of seeing his defense get burned over the top. Based on the positive quotes coming from the coaches about Darby, we’d put him to be the small favorite to start on Sunday.

That’s not it for all the secondary drama. Find out more about the Bills roster transactions at safety on the next slide.

Oct 30, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) catches a pass for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills defensive back Jonathan Meeks (36) defends during the first quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills aren’t horsing around. They cut safety Duke Williams earlier this week and signed James Ihedigbo to the roster.

In addition to the potential changes at cornerback, the Bills also made two roster transactions in their secondary this week. They cut safety Duke Williams who has been with the team since 2013 and signed James Ihedigbo.

The Bills have struggled at safety all season. They’ve had communication issues with the cornerbacks and the team has given up many big plays due to the miscommunication. When their top performing safety Aaron Williams was cheap shotted by Jarvis Landry, it left them thin at the position.

bills

BuffaLowDown 1 wBuffalo Bills vs. Seahawks Fantasy Football Passing Outlook

More headlines around FanSided:

1 w - Buffalo Bills vs. Seahawks Fantasy Football Rushing Outlook 1 w - Fantasy Football Defense: Start Buffalo Bills and Seahawks 2w - Buffalo Bills vs. Patriots RB Fantasy Football Outlook 2w - Buffalo Bills vs. Patriots WR Fantasy Football Outlook 2w - Buffalo Bills vs. Patriots: Start Tom Brady, Sit Tyrod TaylorMore News at BuffaLowDown

It made Corey Graham the Bills best safety and they have been rotating in Robert Blanton, Jonathan Meeks and Duke Williams into the other slot. All of these players have struggled and the Bills decided they needed fresh blood on the roster. After cutting Williams, they added James Ihedigbo to the roster.

Ihedigbo is a veteran player who has been in the league since 2008. He’s had stints with the Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Lions and most recently his own couch before being signed by the Bills. Ihedigbo is a better run stuffing safety than he is in coverage. If he is playing on the field with Graham you can expect Graham to have more of the coverage responsibilities.

According to WKBW, the Bills’ intentions seem to be that Ihedigbo is going to get some time this week along with Blanton and Meeks. Rex Ryan said:

“Yeah, I mean we can look at him but basically, as we say, he’s coming in off the couch. He hasn’t really had that, but James is a physical player, I think he started in, what, two Super Bowls as a safety, so he’s got a proven track record. Very physical player, but we’ll see what he can handle. We’re not just going to give him a bunch of stuff, but we will get him in there somewhere.”

Ihedigbo’s stamina and ability to keep up with NFL game speed in his first week back, seems to be the only impediments to his playing time.

That’s it for the drama in the Bills secondary this week. Let’s move onto the offensive line where there are competitions for starting center and right tackle.

Aug 20, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills guard Ryan Groy (72) against the New York Giants at New Era Field. Bills beat the Giants 21 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Groy named Buffalo Bills starting center against the Cincinnati Bengals

Last week against the Seahawks, the Bills center of eight years Eric Wood broke his leg ending his season. It was a huge blow to the Bills offensive line. Not only are the Bills thin at center but Woods was also one of the captains on the offense. He is a well-respected veteran in the locker room and it hurts to lose a presence like that. Similar to when Kyle Williams missed time last year on the defense.