When the Buffalo Bills take the field for their home opener on Monday night against the Tennessee Titans, they will be doing so without their breakout wide receiver Gabe Davis and star defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
Ed Oliver was always trending towards missing this game after having to limp off the of the field twice in the opening game against the Rams. There had been some hope that having over a week to recover would help, but Oliver was never able to practice during the week and will now miss a showdown against Derrick Henry.
Davis, a third-year pro from UCF, hurt his ankle in practice on Saturday and was listed as questionable. We covered it in our preview article, and I believed that the injury would be minor enough to allow Davis to play, but that is not going to be the case.
Tonight's inactives. #TENvsBUF pic.twitter.com/jBQNDt7zdX
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 19, 2022
The obvious thought is that rookie receiver Khalil Shakir would step into Davis’ spot. Shakir looked good in the preseason and is a smooth route runner, who is able to get open against both zone and man coverage. He operated both out of the slot and on the boundary in the preseason, so he has the flexibility for offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to use him in a number of ways.
However, I don’t think that’s the route the Bills will take.
Yes, Khalil Shakir will play and could even play well, but I don’t think he’ll see much more than the 24-30% of snaps that both Jake Kumerow and Jamison Crowder saw in Week 1. Since Kumerow was lined up at wide receiver on 24% of snaps in Week 1, it’s also possible that the Green Bay veteran could see more action against the Titans.
However, I think the Bills will most likely replace Gabe Davis with their two slot receivers.
In the preseason, when Stefon Diggs left his only game early, the Bills moved Isaiah McKenzie to the outside and brought in Jamison Crowder to play the slot. That could be the avenue that the Bills go on Monday night, allowing Crowder and McKenzie to attack the Titans underneath, using the quick-hitters to offset the lack of run game and move the chains, much like they did against the Rams. This could also neutralize the Titans’ two strong safeties.
At the end of the day, Ken Dorsey learned a lot about attacking from multiple formations and with multiple wrinkles while he was the QB coach under Brian Daboll. I don’t think he will have multiple different plans of attack for overcoming the Gabe Davis injury.
The last one to consider is simply using tight end Dawson Knox more. Knox was on the field for 86.2% of snaps in Week 1 but didn’t factor into the passing game much. While he won’t fill the role as a deep threat that Gabe Davis does, the Bills can use McKenzie’s speed to space the field for Crowder and Knox more underneath.
Regardless, the absence of Davis, Oliver, and defensive tackle Tim Settle are big for the Bills as they try to take down last year’s number one seed in the AFC. The Titans don’t have the offensive line they did last year, but the Bills being down two key defensive tackles is a potential problem. Brandin Bryant, who was elevated off of the Practice Squad, will need to step up, as will Boogie Basham, who is likely to play both defensive end and defensive tackle on Monday.
Only one game into the season and the Buffalo Bills’ depth is already being tested. If they truly as a Super Bowl champion contender then these are the challenges they will need to overcome.
