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Hold off on the Marshawn Lynch trade talk, and ratchet up expectations somewhat for C.J. Spiller. Fred Jackson is done for the preseason and may not be ready for week 1 -- and oh yeah, Lynch is hurt too.
Jackson is definitely out for the preseason with a broken hand, according to the story in the Buffalo News. "We hope to get him back for the first game," said Chan Gailey. "We're not sure."
Lynch also sprained an ankle in the game; it's not clear yet how serious that is. So not only is Lynch now needed in Buffalo, but it'd be more difficult to trade him anyway.
Expect to see plenty of C.J. Spiller, then, the rest of the exhibition season -- unless the Bills decide to protect him in order to have one of their top three running backs healthy for the start of the season.
One interesting name on the depth chart is rookie Joique Bell. Bell is an undrafted Division II standout who rushed for 2,084 yards and 29 TDs at Wayne State last year. Bell was one of the highlights of the exhibition opener, rushing for 52 yards on 5 carries late in the game, including a 28-yard TD. The Bills also have Chad Simpson; both should play plenty the next few weeks.
As a side note, Trent Edwards and the Bills passing offense in general looked really awful. Buffalo is going to want to run the ball a lot, although given the team's line and now injuries at running back, it remains to be seen if they can.
--Andy Richardson
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Posted by ZACH LEAVITT | Aug. 14 at 06:56 AM
Sure, the injuries to Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch will help CJ Spiller in the short term- he simply plays more. While I agree with your analysis that this hurts Marshawn Lynch's trade value, I disagree that that helps Spiller's value over the course of the season- by not trading Lynch, that leaves one more mouth to feed in the Buffalo backfield, even if it means 5 touches a game for Lynch. Am I crazy? Also, how does this affect the kick return situation there? Who's going to return the kicks there? Thanks!