Bills

The Bills claimed CB Darius Slay after he was waived by the Steelers, which caused Buffalo to cut CB Ja’Marcus Ingram. However, Slary refused to report to the team, and Ingram was claimed by the Texans. When asked about the situation, HC Sean McDermott responded that it’s unfortunate how things played out, and he still thinks highly of Ingram. 

“Yeah, I mean it’s unfortunate that that unfolded and went down the way it did,” McDermott said, via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. “You know, I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan and will always be. So I’m always gonna be in his corner and want the best for him. So that’s really where my mind is right now, and you know, I’m getting myself ready to coach this game.”

As for whether he would still be open to having Slay suit up for the Bills, McDermott said he is focused on the players he has available.

“I’m really gonna focus on our team right now,” McDermott said. “So, focus on our team and coaching this game in a couple of days here. And I wish him the best, him and his family.”

• McDermott said DT Ed Oliver (biceps) has “a chance” to return during the playoffs, via Cameron Wolfe. 

Jets

Jets QB Tyrod Taylor has built a reputation for being a dual-threat quarterback, accounting for 2,424 yards and 20 touchdowns. When asked if he has any advice for Giants QB Jaxson Dart, who has taken several shots after escaping the pocket, Taylor responded that Dart must be smart with when he decides to take off. 

“You never want to take away what makes a guy special,” Taylor said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “It was a legal hit. My advice to him would be to be smart about those. Over the course of a season, over the course of a career, those add up. Your best ability is availability, so you want to be out there for the guys and making plays. By all means, do what feels natural, but understand the toll that it takes when you continue to keep taking those hits.”

Taylor acknowledged that he had to learn how to be a runner and limit the damage he takes. 

“For sure, I had to learn that,” Taylor said. “As a dual threat guy, I’ve definitely taken some hits that I shouldn’t have taken in my career. There’s a learning curve that comes with that, and hopefully he learns sooner rather than later because he’s a special player. His team is better, obviously, when he’s available.”

• New York ruled out QB Justin Fields (knee) for Week 14, meaning undrafted QB Brady Cook will be Taylor’s primary backup. Jets HC Aaron Glenn expressed confidence in Cook’s ability to be an NFL quarterback: “He’s going to be a quarterback in this league. I can’t tell you when, but he’ll be a quarterback in this league.” (Rich Cimini)
• Glenn said they will evaluate Fields next week to determine his availability: “We’ll see how he progresses going into next week for him to be ready for that.” (Rich Cimini)

Jets

As for the Jets’ run defense, HC Aaron Glenn said they studied what went wrong in Week 13 against the Falcons, where RB Bijan Robinson tallied 142 yards and a touchdown. 

“We’ve got to get better in that aspect, and listen, I know Bijan’s a good player, but still it’s unacceptable for us to give up 140-something yards to one player,” Glenn said, via Brian Costello. “So, again, we looked at that, we looked at some of the issues with that. There were a number of missed tackles, and a lot of those missed tackles were us diving to the ground instead of running through the man, so we have to do a better job at that, and we will.”

• Glenn said fourth-round WR Arian Smith is “ready to go” for Week 14 after being a healthy scratch last week, via Rich Cimini.