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Oct 26, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on from the sidelines during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
September 7, 2024 By  AFC East, Buffalo Bills, NFL

Breaking: Bills Lose 99-Game Veteran Hours Before Week 1 Vs. Cardinals

The Buffalo Bills have a lot to prove in 2024.  Most notably, that moving on from Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde all in the same off-season won’t be detrimental to their franchise.

Josh Allen will have his work cut out for him, but there’s no doubt that he is motivated to show the league the Bills are still a contender.

However, that task just got a little more difficult.

The Buffalo Bills Lose 99-Game Veteran Hours Before Week One Kick Off

Bills edge Dawuane Smoot throws aside a blocking dummy as he works on defensive line drills. © Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bills edge Dawuane Smoot throws aside a blocking dummy as he works on defensive line drills. © Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk:

Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot was added to the practice report Friday as a non-participant with a toe injury. The team listed him as questionable.

On Saturday, the Bills downgraded Smoot to out.  Casey Toohill is expected to see increased reps in the rotation.

The Bills also announced two roster elevations: Defensive end Kameron Cline and offensive lineman Will Clapp were elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s season opener against the Cardinals.

Cline has seen action in five career games since joining the NFL in 2020. If he plays on Sunday, it’ll be his first appearance for the Bills.

Here is a quick screen shot of Smoot’s career so far in the NFL:

Games Def Interceptions Fumbles Tackles
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Comb Solo Ast TFL QBHits Sfty AV
2017 22 JAX DE 94 16 0 0 0 0.0 20 14 6 2 5 2
2018 23 JAX DE 94 8 0 0 0 0.0 4 3 1 1 3 1
2019 24 JAX DE 94 16 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6.0 17 12 5 6 7 2
2020 25 JAX LDE 94 16 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 5.5 25 21 4 5 17 4
2021 26 JAX RDE 91 16 10 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 36 22 14 7 16 5
2022 27 JAX DE 91 15 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 5.0 21 14 7 6 12 2
2023 28 JAX OLB 91 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 10 8 2 0 4 1
Career 99 17 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 2 0 0 23.5 133 94 39 27 64 17
Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Chicago Bears guard Matt Pryor (79) blocks Buffalo Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot (94) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Chicago Bears guard Matt Pryor (79) blocks Buffalo Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot (94) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Losing that type of experience on your defensive line the day before the season opener is less than ideal.  On Sunday afternoon, defensive coordinator Bobby Babich will be in the booth calling the plays in a regular season game for the first time in his career. In January, Babich was named Buffalo’s defensive coordinator and spent the entire offseason preparing for his first season as a defensive coordinator.

The pressure will be on this defense to step up and keep their team in games until the new look offense gets firing on all cylinders.

Aug 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott warmup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott warmup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

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McQuade Arnold is a Co-Owner of Wisconsin Sports Heroics (WSH), Gridiron Heroics (GH), and Hardwood Heroics (HWH). He graduated from American Military University with an associate in General Studies and is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Sports Marketing. McQuade has been active duty in the United States Navy for 11 years and is currently stationed in Chicago, IL after spending time in Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA. He is originally from Superior, WI and is a die hard Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks fan. McQuade's work for WSH has been featured on YardBarker, Bleacher Report, NewsBreak, and MSN.

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