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ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. -- Running back LeSean McCoy was the lone Buffalo Bills player named to the Pro Bowl, his fourth selection to the Hawaii All-Star event. McCoy, who likely won't play the rest of this season due to a knee injury suffered last week, also missed two games early in the season due to a hamstring injury. He has only 895 yards rushing, a 4.3 average per carry, and three touchdowns. Additionally, he has 32 catches for 292 yards and two TDs.
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McCoy's inclusion on the team seems to shine a light on the state of the running back position in the NFL. He didn't seem to warrant a spot, but may have gotten it on reputation, not that that's out of the ordinary. McCoy ranks ninth in the league in rushing, and three players ahead of him on the list -- Darren McFadden (Cowboys), Chris Ivory (Jets), and Latavius Murray (Raiders) -- were not selected. McCoy's average of 74.6 rushing yards per game ranks fifth in the NFL, while his 98.9 yards from scrimmage per game ranks sixth in the league. He had a streak of seven straight games with 100 yards or more gained from scrimmage snapped last week in Washington.
The Bills have four players on the alternate list: quarterback Tyrod Taylor, center Eric Wood, guard Richie Incognito, and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.
--Bills head coach Rex Ryan announced that safety Aaron Williams would not play in the final two games, which did not come as a surprise. He has been practicing on a limited basis for the past few weeks when he was eligible after being place on short-term injured reserve. But Williams' neck injury is not completely healed (he has not been cleared for contact), and the prudent move was to shut him down, especially now that the Bills are out of the playoffs.
"He knows that I really want to play this year, but unfortunately the outcome is a lot different than I expected," Williams said. "All I can do is really just get ready for next year. I haven't really taken any hits yet. The fact of going out there and running around a little bit, you know, I'm very happy about that."
Williams said previously that the neck injury certainly scared him and he thought about possibly retiring. He since changed his mind and is excited to come back in 2016. "I'm going to be back next year -- there's no ifs, ands or buts about it," he said. "That's just my mental state and that's just what I really believe in."
--Marcus Thigpen is no longer a Bill for the second time this season. The kick returner was waived Tuesday during a slew of roster moves by the Bills. Thigpen began the year with the Bills, started slowly and was cut in favor of Denarius Moore. When Moore proved to be a downgrade, he was cut in November and Thigpen was re-signed. However, Thigpen is averaging just 6.3 yards per punt return, and 18.3 yards on kickoffs, plus he lost a fumble on a punt against Houston.
The Bills placed wide receiver Robert Woods (groin) and linebacker Randell Johnson (ankle) on injured reserve, and put offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson on the reserve/non-football illness list as he battles Crohn's disease. To fill those spots, the Bills promoted wide receivers Dezmin Lewis and Walter Powell and defensive end Jerel Worthy from their practice squad, and signed wide receiver Greg Salas. Powell will likely replace Thigpen on returns, while Lewis or Salas will step in at receiver when the Bills go to three- and four-wide sets, joining Sammy Watkins and Chris Hogan.
The Bills also signed quarterback Zac Dysert to the practice squad. Dysert was a 2013 seventh-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2013, and has also spent time with the Bears and Texans.
