On Saturday morning, the Buffalo Bills (3-4) announced that they have placed their veteran wide receiver Percy Harvin on IR effectively ending his 2015 season. Veteran cornerback Liodis McKelvin will take Harvin’s spot on the active roster. McKelvin has been elevated from the Non-Football Injury list.
During the last two weeks that Harvin has missed due to a hip injury, reports surfaced that the oft-injured Harvin was considering retirement because of his injury history. Because of the same hip injury, Harvin missed most of training camp, and even after the Bills bye week he was unable to practice with an apparent knee injury. It appears after just five games, Harvin’s 2015 season will come to an end. Through those five games, Harvin caught 19 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown.
ESPN’s Mike Rodak reports that if Percy Harvin is on the Buffalo Bills roster five days after the Super Bowl, his 2016 and 2017 salary can only be voided if the Bills decide to release him some time soon.
Robert Woods would replace Harvin in the Bills starting lineup, lining up opposite of Sammy Watkins, who has been dealing with his own share of injuries that have hampered his sophomore season. This leaves Chris Hogan, who is about to see a rise in playing time, to step-up.
Details via the team’s website:
The wide receiver battled a persistent hip injury since Training Camp. From plate rich plasma injections to sitting out Wednesday practices. Harvin and the Bills medical and athletic training staff did everything they could to help the game breaking wideout on the field. Just this week however, a new knee injury surfaced that kept him out of practice all week and the team felt it was best to shut him down for the rest of the 2015 season.
The Buffalo Bills started the season with very high expectations. First they hired New York Jets ex-head coach Rex Ryan, followed by trading with the Philadelphia Eagles for star running back, LeSean McCoy. They also signed free agent tight end Charles Clay from the Miami Dolphins.
If the Bills manage to stay healthy and go on a run, they may get to within striking distance of the last wild card spot—or at the very least they could be the team that throws cold water on other teams’ playoff hopes.
