Someone in Buffalo got up early this morning as the Bills dropped their inactive list a half hour ahead of schedule. Samuel is a healthy scratch for the second week in a row. Tyrell Shavers and Elijah Moore are firmly ahead of him on the depth chart. With multiple defenders out for Week 2, including star defensive tackle Ed Oliver, Justin Fields and the Jets offense should stay hot after dropping 32 points in Week 1.

That means Tyrell Shavers and Elijah Moore get the call behind starters Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, and Khalil Shakir in the Bills’ first game of the season. All five could see meaningful snaps for a team that typically rotates wide receiver through in a package-heavy offense. Also inactive for the Bills are CB Tre’Davious White, DB Jordan Hancock, OL Sedrick Van-Pran Granger, OT Chase Lundt, and DE Landon Jackson.

Getzenberg also notes that Samuel “didn’t participate in a good chunk of Friday’s practice,” which is presumably due to the same injury that’s left him sidelined for Sunday. Samuel, along with free agent signee Elijah Moore, is expected to battle for playing time behind Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. The veteran receiver totaled 31-253-1 in limited action with the Bills last season and is unlikely to have much fantasy upside at this stage in his career. That said, this injury will be something to watch if his absence extends multiple days/weeks into camp. In addition to Samuel, linebacker Terrel Bernard is also dealing with a hamstring injury and did not practice on Sunday.

Samuel was left essentially uncovered on fourth-and-goal and held on to a Josh Allen rocket for a score in the back of the end zone. That helped make up for a drop earlier in the game where he was wide open underneath with plenty of turf in front of him that he couldn’t quite corral. Incredibly, Samuel has a $9.06 million cap figure in 2025 and the Bills cannot easily clear any of the contract without a trade partner. He finished the year with a 31/253/1 line and just three games with more than four targets. He’ll probably be on the Bills roster in some form in 2025, but this was not an auspicious start to his three-year, $24 million deal.