Getty Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
The Buffalo Bills‘ mandatory minicamp was quite the rollercoaster with Stefon Diggs‘ bizarre absence from practice on Day 1 and head coach Sean McDermott’s attempt at damage control on Day 2, but putting that drama aside, there were other issues the team needed to deal with.
On Wednesday, June 14, Buffalo placed Zach Davidson on injured reserve, per the NFL’s transaction wire. While the 6-foot-7 tight end was in attendance at minicamp, he did not participate, per ESPN‘s Alaina Getzenberg.
Davidson initially signed onto the Bills practice squad last season and signed a reserve/futures contract worth $1.67 million in January. It’s not clear how or when the 25-year-old was injured, but he first missed practice during OTAs on June 6, Getzenberg reported.
Due the timing of his IR placement, he’ll miss the entire season with the Bills. “He won’t be eligible to be activated later this year and can only return to play in 2023 if he’s released with an injury settlement,” Pro Football Talk‘s Josh Alper reported.
Davidson was initially selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. The University of Central Missouri alum played as both punter and tight end throughout his collegiate career. Despite the setback, Davidson is staying positive. He captioned a June 12 Instagram post, “Through this journey WE will be stronger 🙏🏼🫶🏻.”
Bills Invited Former Packers TE Nick Guggemos to Tryout
The Athletic‘s Joe Buscaglia reported that Buffalo already has a possible replacement under consideration. Buscaglia tweeted, “Over the last two days of mandatory minicamp, the Bills have had former Packers tight end Nick Guggemos in on a tryout basis. With Davidson now on IR, a roster spot for camp at TE potentially has opened up.”
UPDATE: The Bills announced they signed Guggemos on Thursday, June 16.
Guggemos has had an interesting journey to the NFL. The former undrafted free agent out of St. Thomas, a Division III school in Minnesota, played receiver in college, but recorded just one reception for eight yards and one rush for negative four yards, per SI‘s Bill Huber.
The 27-year-old pursued a career in engineering after graduating in 2018 but hoped to get a shot in the NFL. However, when COVID-19 hit, those opportunities dried up. Guggemos “continued to train at an ETS Performance opened by Vikings receiver Adam Thielen,” Huber reported, and “he was invited to the University of Minnesota pro day in 2021, where he caught the eye of Seahawks general manager John Schneider – an alum of St. Thomas.”
Guggemos ran the 40 in 4.49 seconds and had a broad jump “that rivaled any tight end to ever participate in the Scouting Combine,” Huber noted.
Guggemos signed with the Seahawks after a workout with the Seahawks but was released a month later. The 6-foot-5, 247-pounder had a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns practice squad and the Washington Commanders before signing with the Packers in November, per USA Today. While he signed a reserve/futures deal with Green Bay, Guggemos was released last month.
The Bills Needed an Extra Tight End at Minicamp With Dawson Knox Out
While Guggemos was brought in for minicamp due to Davidson’s injury, having the extra tight end on hand must’ve been useful since Bills starter Dawson Knox hurt his left leg on Day 1.
Syracuse.com‘s Matt Parrino tweeted on Tuesday, “Knox injured on a play during 11-on-11 today. Taylor Rapp made a good play to defend a pass from Josh Allen and Kaiir Elam came flying in late and looked to hit Knox’s leg.” Batavia Daily News‘ Alex Brasky reported that Knox “limped off” off the field while WROC-TV‘s Thad Brown noted he “seemed to favor his left knee… was a bit ginger, but did not appear serious.”
After the drill ended, Getzenberg tweeted that quarterback Josh Allen, among others, came to check on him. “Knox flexed his foot for a bit on the sideline and walked around/stood on the sideline for the rest of practice without athletic trainers.”
On Wednesday, Knox attended practice but did not participate. He was seen wearing a sleeve on his injured leg. Hopefully, the Bills’ $52 million tight end will be healthy and ready to go when training camp starts at the end of July.
In the meantime, the Bills have depth at the position with Dalton Kincaid, Quinton Morris, and Joel Wilson.
