Bills' roster moves provide depth at two positions for AFC Championship Game

The Buffalo Bills elevated a safety and an offensive lineman for the January 26 battle against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Buffalo Bills safety Kareem Jackson (27) breaks a pass against Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (17) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills have called up insurance at two positions for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills announced the elevations of veteran safety Kareem Jackson and interior offensive lineman Will Clapp off the practice squad one day prior to the January 26 affair.

Jackson and Clapp have been tabbed as gameday elevations for the second time this postseason. The former was called up for the wild-card round, but landed amongst the inactives. Subsequently, Clapp logged five special teams snaps in last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Once head coach Sean McDermott ruled safety Taylor Rapp out on Friday, Jackson's elevation seemed inevitable, especially considering that the Bills carry only three pure safeties on their 53-man roster.

The 36-year-old Jackson, who joined the team during training camp, made two regular season appearances in December. He accounted for four tackles over 32 defensive snaps. The 2010 first-round draft pick has 205 career games to his credit in addition to nine playoff appearances (8 starts) over the years.

Jan 5, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) and safety Taylor Rapp (9) run onto the field before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

With rookie Cole Bishop slated to start alongside safety Damar Hamlin, Jackson and the versatile Cam Lewis are in line to be backups.

RELATED: Bill Belichick analyzes Bills' chances in AFC Championship Game vs. Chiefs

Meanwhile, Clapp provides an emergency option off the bench for a Bills' offense that uses six linemen in multiple formations.

Outside of Rapp and starting cornerback Christian Benford, who has been progressing through the concussion protocol, Buffalo's roster is healthy heading into Sunday's conference title game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Under the watch of Bills head coach Sean McDermott, safety Kareem Jackson falls back into coverage during drills. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI  —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• Bills make two roster moves while preparing for title game vs. Chiefs

• Josh Allen and Bills' offense benefitting from Jets' personnel blunder

• Texas A&M legend Von Miller overlooks Bills teammate's lone flaw

• Referees assigned to Bills Chiefs AFC Championship game

• NFL Network analysts make surprising picks for Bills-Chiefs AFC title game