The Buffalo Bills signed a pair of players, placed a veteran on IR, and designated two others to return from IR.
The Buffalo Bills announced a flurry of roster moves Tuesday, just four days ahead of their Divisional Round playoff matchup with the Denver Broncos. Buffalo placed wide receiver Gabe Davis on Injured Reserve (IR), signed wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson to the practice squad, signed offensive lineman Nick Broeker to a reserve/future contract, and designated both wide receiver Curtis Samuel and defensive tackle Ed Oliver to return from IR.
Davis, 26, tore his ACL in Buffalo’s 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. He had two catches for 24 yards in the game. In six games this season, Davis caught 12 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. In each game where Davis played, he was a main contributor, playing at least 23 offensive snaps in each of his six regular-season games. He managed to play on 25 snaps before his knee injury Sunday.
Wilkerson, 29, has not appeared in a regular-season game this season, but he spent the offseason with the Bills. He caught seven passes on nine targets for 91 yards in three exhibition games with Buffalo this summer. After the Bills released him in August, Wilkerson signed with their practice squad, which is where he remained until his release on November 11. He signed with Tennessee Titans’ practice squad on November 18, was released on November 25, re-signed to the Titans’ practice squad on December 2, and released again on December 22.
Broeker, 25, was a 2023 seventh-round draft choice of the Bills. He was waived at final roster cut downs and claimed by the Houston Texans. He appeared in 12 games for Houston across the 2023 and 2024 seasons before he was waived on May 9 of 2025. Broeker was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who released him on August 7 before he signed with the Dallas Cowboys for the remainder of the preseason. Dallas released him on August 25, and he signed to Buffalo’s practice squad on September 25. Buffalo released him on December 9, and the Kansas City Chiefs signed him to their practice squad on December 16. At the conclusion of the regular season, his contract with Kansas City expired. By signing him to a reserve/future deal, Buffalo guarantees him an offseason home, but he cannot play for the team in the playoffs this season.
The biggest news in this announcement is the return designations for both Oliver, 28, and Samuel, 29. Oliver has been injured for nearly the entire season, but when healthy, he’s been an absolute menace. Though Oliver played in only three games, he totaled 12 tackles, three sacks, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and a critical forced fumble that propelled the Bills to victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. Oliver missed four weeks with an injured ankle following that season-opening victory against Baltimore. He returned to play in two more games, bookending the bye week, before tearing his biceps against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. Oliver suffered a meniscus injury during his rehab, undergoing a “cleanup” procedure late in December.
Samuel’s return might be the most necessary in terms of sheer numbers, as Buffalo has just four healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. With Joshua Palmer (ankle) already on IR, the Bills have just Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Tyrell Shavers, and Brandin Cooks healthy, with Mecole Hardman Jr. available on the practice squad. Samuel played in just six games this season, catching seven passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also returned kickoffs for a bit, averaging 24.8 yards per return in his first action in the return game since the 2018 season. Samuel came up big in the playoffs last year, catching six of his eight targets for 81 yards and two scores.
Category: General Sports
