Bills forced to make emergency roster move ahead of Week 16 after key playmaker goes down with last-second injury
Buffalo was forced to make some emergency roster moves ahead of Week 16.
The Buffalo Bills found themselves in a less-than-ideal situation leading up to the matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Once again, the team finds itself entering the matchup shorthanded and forced to bring in an emergency reinforcement.
Head coach Sean McDermott had already ruled out defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who was injured during the comeback win over the New England Patriots. Outside of Phillips, McDermott said that kicker Matt Prater would also be unavailable for the contest.
Buffalo wasted no time, bringing in kicker Michael Badgley to the practice squad. He will wear No. 32 with the Bills, and in a corresponding move, the team released cornerback M.J. Devonshire. Prater remains on the active roster as this is just a short-term injury.
Welcome to Buffalo, Michael Badgley
Badgley went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft after having a successful career out of the University of Miami. He spent some time with the Indianapolis Colts that summer before he joined the Los Angeles Chargers from 2018 to 2020. During his rookie season with the Chargers, he was 15-for-16 on field goals and 27-of-28 on extra points, earning the nickname “Money Badger.”
Badgley has been around the league, spending time with the Tennessee Titans, Colts, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions. In his latest stint with the Colts in 2025, he converted 10 of his 11 field goal attempts and 18 of 21 on extra point attempts.
Throughout his career, he has made 103 of 130 field goals (83%) and converted on 94.8% of his extra point attempts (186 of 196).
Kicking carousel in Buffalo in 2025
Buffalo has battled through adversity on the special teams unit, specifically, bringing in various punters and kickers throughout the 2025 season due to injury or poor performance.
For punters, the team has worked out or trotted out Jake Camarda, Brad Robbins, Cameron Johnston, and, most recently, Mitch Wishnowsky.
As for kickers, Tyler Bass started the year with an injury, and the team brought in Caden Davis for a workout before ultimately signing Prater. Now, after the Prater injury, the team has brought in Badgley to help with that unit.
For now, Badgley’s job is simple. Just be steady and reliable and help Buffalo get through another week as the team hopes to stack wins. The Bills have proven this season, time and time again, that next-man-up isn’t just a slogan; it’s a necessity. With playoff positioning on the line and little margin for error, Buffalo will once again lean on depth and composure as it prepares for Cleveland.
Buffalo Bills News
Bills’ comeback win obviously annoyed Mike Vrabel after hearing him whine about something a Patriots fan would complain about
Not a good look for the Patriots head coach.
