Buffalo Bills tight end Armani Rogers hoped to spend the offseason fighting for a spot on the team’s roster, but instead will be sidelined by his second major injury in the span of the last two years.
Reporter Aaron Wilson of KRPC-2 in Houston reported on March 3 that Rogers suffered a torn Achilles while training for the upcoming season. Rogers, a former college quarterback who converted to tight end, had signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills in January and was looking to compete for a spot on the roster at training camp.
Armani Rogers Suffered Another Torn Achilles
Rogers has dealt with plenty of adversity since coming into the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2022. He spent one season with the Washington Commanders, making the final 53-man roster and finishing the season with five receptions for 64 yards.
But Rogers was placed on injured reserve in November after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during a non-contact drill, forcing him to miss the 2023 season.
Rogers was waived by the Commanders and joined the Philadelphia Eagles during training camp last year, but was released and spent time on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. He joined the Bills in January on a reserve/futures contract.
As Ryan Miller of the Democrat & Chronicle noted, Rogers had some deep ties to Buffalo as his father, Sam Rogers, played linebacker for the Bills.
“Rogers was born in Buffalo in 1997 during his dad Sam Rogers’ NFL career,” Miller wrote. “The elder Rogers was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft and started 79 of his 101 games in Buffalo from 1994-2000. He made the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team as a special teamer. The linebacker also played for the San Diego Chargers and Atlanta Falcons and finished with 380 tackles and 30 sacks in 10 seasons.”
Bills Face Challenges at Tight End
The Bills have struggled to find consistent production at tight end behind first-round pick Dalton Kincaid, who also struggled at times. Kincaid had a key drop late in Buffalo’s AFC Championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, with head coach Sean McDermott later telling reporters that the second-year tight end didn’t step up the way the team had envisioned.
“Dalton didn’t have that next step up type of year,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “Some of it was he missed some games due to injury. Then, he came back and was trying to play through some of it. As far as the last, the last ball, Dalton makes those plays. It never comes down to just one play, and I want to make sure everybody knows that.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane also made it clear that Kincaid needed to work on getting stronger during the offseason.
“He’s going to have to continue to work on his play strength,” Beane said. “He’s not as built and muscular as, let’s just say, Dawson is, and so that’s one of the nuances of this game.. In college you don’t play 17 games plus playoffs, so building your body up to withstand what it takes.”
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