Sean McDermott rules out 3 key contributors for Bills' Week 9 matchup with Chiefs

The Buffalo Bills will once again be undermanned for their upcoming matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sean McDermott ruled out three starters for the Bills’ Week 9 meeting with Kansas City, including defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (calf), wide receiver Joshua Palmer (knee/ankle) and linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring).

Key contributors out

Jones and Palmer will each miss their second consecutive game, while Thompson was added to the team’s injury report on Wednesday, when he was a limited participant, before being held out of Thursday’s practice altogether. Thompson's absence will be his second of the season, including missing a Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets.

The veteran LB had started the past two games in the absence of Matt Milano, who is set to return to action this week after recovering from a pectoral injury. Thompson performed well in Milano’s absence, recording 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed.

Along with Milano, LB Terrel Bernard is also set to return this week after being held out in Week 8 due to an ankle injury. We will likely see Bernard and Milano resume their starting roles this week against the Chiefs.

MORE: Buffalo Bills will face Chiefs' defensive line with added reinforcement in Week 9

Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson runs towards a player during practice at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 31, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How will Bills replace them?

Without Palmer, who returned to practice Thursday in limited fashion, it appeared as if the Bills may have been set to call up Gabe Davis from the practice squad after activating him from the practice squad injured list earlier this week. But on Friday, McDermott revealed that Davis experienced knee inflammation during Thursday’s practice, which prevented him from participating during Friday’s session, leaving his status for Sunday’s game in doubt.

Tyrell Shavers has seen his offensive snap share increase without Palmer in the lineup. He went from playing an average of 24.4% of the team’s offensive snaps through the first five games, but has jumped to an average of 44.4% of the snaps the last two weeks.

Jones has been replaced in the Bills’ starting lineup by rookie DT Deone Walker, while the return of veteran Larry Ogunjobi from his six-game PED suspension has also helped lighten the blow felt by Jones’ absence. Buffalo is hurting on the defensive line, with Ed Oliver (biceps), 2024 third-round pick DeWayne Carter (Achilles) and rookie DT T.J. Sanders (knee) all sitting on Injured Reserve.

Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis (13) scores a 57-yard touchdown during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Looking ahead

Oliver and Carter will miss the remainder of the regular season, while Sanders may be able to return “in a few weeks,” per the Bills’ head coach.

In other injury news, safety Taylor Rapp underwent surgery on his injured knee and, per McDermott, he is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

The Bills square off with the Chiefs on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

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