Bills HC Sean McDermott Sends Strong Message on Jordan Poyer After Rapp Injury

It’s next-man-up time again for Buffalo Bills secondary after Taylor Rapp was placed on injured reserve. Luckily for Bills coach Sean McDermott, the next player in line is one the organization knows well.

With Rapp’s injury, veteran Jordan Poyer could be in line to be elevated after spending the first seven weeks on the Bills practice squad, and McDermott spoke about Poyer’s leadership while biding his time off the active roster.

Rapp was placed on IR on Friday with a knee injury, becoming the third Buffalo safety to land on injured reserve this season.

Buffalo (4-2) has lost two straight and will try to snap that skid when it takes on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte.

Sean McDermott: Jordan Poyer’s ‘Unselfishness’ Led Him To Return

The Bills were hoping to have Rapp and Damar Hamlin patrolling their defensive secondary for most of the season while playing opposite free safety Cole Bishop, who has stayed remarkably healthy while playing 96 percent of defensive snaps.

Yet, Hamlin landed on injured reserve two weeks ago, and they both joined Wande Owens, who has also been on IR since training camp.

So enter Poyer, the 34-year-old who spent seven seasons with the Bills from 2017-23 before going to the Miami Dolphins for a season then returning on a one-year deal this off-season.

Poyer was resigned to the practice squad, but with Buffalo’s injury-laden safeties room, he has suddenly found himself important at work. McDermott credited his readiness and maturity for sticking with it.

“It’s a great example of unselfishness, of being a part of something bigger than oneself,” McDermott said of Poyer’s ongoing participation on the practice squad. “He’s been able to get yourself to embrace that type of attitude, that type of mindset, that doesn’t happen all the time.”

Poyer made his return to action in a Bills uniform by playing 16 snaps and making one tackle while spelling Rapp in their 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7.

So even though the NFL is a results’ business, and the Bills will now need him to step in and contribute, Poyer has already been valuable to the team.

“It’s great to have him here,” McDermott said. “Young players can learn and even honestly some of our new players that are veterans can learn from that level of unselfishness.”

Jordan Poyer Is ‘Grateful’ For The Chance To Play With the Bills

Poyer may have thought his career was over before signing a one-year contract with the Bills in the middle of training camp.

But joining the Bills, who have Super Bowl-caliber expectations, may have inspired Poyer’s level of unselfishness. Whatever Poyer’s mentality, he is the one feeling grateful for the chance to contribute on a team as talented as Buffalo.

“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to be able to come here and play for this organization once again and just do everything that I can to help this team win football games,” Poyer said Wednesday. “Whether that’s my scout team, whether that’s being up [on the active roster], whatever that is, I’m just staying ready to play.”

Oilers Considering 3 PTO Targets, Pundits Claim

Heading toward the 2025-26 season, teams will consider handing out professional tryout (PTO) contracts to players looking to earn new deals, and it seems as though the Edmonton Oilers are pondering a few options.

According to sources with the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast, the Oilers are looking into signing three players to PTOs. Two forwards and one goaltender.

They didn’t mention who the players were going to be, which led to some speculation about who the players could be, or if the report is accurate, but “looking at” PTO options doesn’t mean they’re going to do so. Every team considers how they are going to fill out their roster heading into a new campaign, so having some backup options in the event of any injuries is always a smart move. But who could they be?

Oilers Have Plenty of PTO Options Available

Since the Oilers aren’t looking at any defenders on a PTO, we don’t need to consider that. For the forwards, there are lots of options left on the table. A reunion with Klim Kostin seems to be on the horizon, since fans loved him during his previous stint, and he needs a fresh start with a new team, but he may have a tough time cracking the roster this time around.

Klim Kostin, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Another option could be veteran Max Pacioretty, who was believed to be considering retirement, but has yet to make a decision on his future and could be open to joining the Oilers as he tries to make one more deep playoff run before hanging up his skates. I would assume he is leaning toward returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs if they are interested in bringing him back, but he would have to consider joining the Oilers and being a Corey Perry replacement, since they’ve had more success over the past couple of seasons and likely give him the best chance at a championship.

Brett Leason is another forward who comes to mind. The 26-year-old is from Calgary, Alberta, so coming to try and earn a deal closer to home would make sense. He had 17 points through 62 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season, and has 54 points through 220 games in his career. He could be worth taking a chance on, but he is someone else who may struggle to break into the Oilers’ already lethal forward lineup.

In terms of goaltenders, the only two that make sense are Ilya Samsonov and Alex Georgiev. Both of them have struggled over the past couple of seasons to find their footing, but there’s no harm in giving them both a chance to bounce back and earn a contract out of training camp.

My opinion would be to stick with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard over either Samsonov or Georgiev, but having internal competition doesn’t hurt. Samsonov does well with high-danger chances against, but his overall play and underlying statistics haven’t been great over the past couple of campaigns. Georgiev has fallen off immensely and doesn’t seem like a trustworthy option, but if either of them comes in at league minimum, there’s no reason not to give them a look.

Time will tell if they end up bringing in any players on a PTO at training camp, but if they do, the Oilers have the cap space available to sign at least one of them, should they look solid at their tryout.

As the 2025-26 season approaches, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.