Potential replacements for Bills' players heading to IR prior to MNF vs. Falcons

Buffalo Bills' head coach Sean McDermott revealed on Saturday that two players would be placed on Injured Reserve ahead of the team's upcoming Week 6 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, leaving holes that must be filled by Monday night.

Defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (knee), and safety Damar Hamlin (pectoral) are set to go on IR due to their respective ailments, which will require them to miss at least Buffalo's next four games.

So where do the Bills turn from here? Let's take a look at potential replacements for this week's primetime affair.

Rookie DT to IR

Bills rookie T.J. Sanders signs autographs for fans during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Pittsford. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sanders is the third Bills' rookie to have gone on IR this season, with the second-round defensive tackle joining first-round CB Max Hairston (knee) and sixth-round CB Dorian Strong (neck) on the mend.

The earliest the first-year DT can return is Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With that said, McDermott also revealed while speaking to reporters on Saturday that Sanders will undergo surgery to repair the knee injury he sustained in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints, making the timeline for his return a bit dubious.

It has not been a good start for the Bills’ rookie class, as beyond tight end Jackson Hawes and DT Deone Walker, the team’s other seven 2025 selections have either been unavailable or left a bit to be desired early in their careers. Strong was serviceable during his lone start in Week 1, but he, too, is now sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Buffalo’s “draft, develop, re-sign” philosophy has hit a speed bump to begin the regular season, and the Bills are now scrambling to find replacements for a few players they expected to provide key contributions in their first NFL campaign.

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Sanders’ absence creates a hole along the Bills’ defensive line. But with Buffalo likely set to see the return of its top DT, Ed Oliver, this week, playing without the rookie will become a bit less detrimental, at least in the short term.

Also, Buffalo will get defensive linemen Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht back from suspension after the team’s Week 7 bye week. In the meantime, candidates to be called up from the practice squad in Week 6 include DTs Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue and Phidarian Mathis, all of whom have experienced game-day elevations for the Bills this season.

Sanders had appeared in all five games for the Bills during the start of his rookie year, playing 49% of the team's defensive snaps and recording just two tackles while being held without a sack.

Hamlin’s replacement?

Hamlin is out for the next four games after sustaining his injury during practice this week. Now, there is a question as to who will replace the Bills’ backup safety on the game-day roster.

The first option that comes to mind is fifth-round rookie Jordan Hancock, who has been active for just one game this season after beginning the year battling a shoulder injury. Hancock provides versatility in his ability to play both nickel cornerback and safety and is likely to be active for Buffalo’s upcoming matchup with the Falcons.

Veteran Jordan Poyer, however, is waiting in the wings on the team’s practice squad, and he could be a candidate to earn a game-day jersey as soon as Monday night in Atlanta. Another option is Cam Lewis, who also possesses versatility in his ability to fill in at nickel CB and safety.

With all that said, at this point, it seems like Hancock and Poyer are ahead of the rest of the pack in terms of their chances to gain an opportunity to fill in for Hamlin over the next several weeks. Hamlin has been on the field for 35% of the team's special teams snaps this season. His replacement will be one injury away from starter's snaps defensively.

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