Buffalo Bills Elevate Two Players From Practice Squad For Week 1

The Buffalo Bills have made a decision on practice squad roster elevations for Week 1. 

On Saturday, the team confirmed that it is elevating running back Frank Gore Jr. and wide receiver Greg Dortch for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. 

It's both players' first elevations of the season. They both have two left before the Bills have to make a decision on adding them to the 53-man roster.

Gore Jr. being elevated should come as no surprise. Despite being officially listed as questionable, it felt unlikely that Ty Johnson would suit up on Sunday. Johnson suffered a hamstring injury on August 8 and only returned to practice on Friday. While there's an outside chance he dresses against Houston, calling up Gore Jr. to be the third running back feels like a formality. 

Dortch, on the other hand, could be viewed as a surprise. While there seemed to be a plan to eventually bring him to the 53-man roster should things go well, it felt like Buffalo needed to go defense with the other call up.

Both defensive lineman T.J. Sanders and defensive back Jordan Hancock are also listed as questionable. In the case of Hancock, specifically, there was a belief that Geno Stone could be elevated if he couldn't play. Not doing so seems to indicate that there's a real chance Hancock is ready to go against the Texans.

For Dortch, he's expected to handle punt return duties at the very least for the Bills. But that's just a couple of plays per game. For head coach Joe Brady to elevate him already, there must be a plan, should he dress, to also get him involved in the passing game.

Dortch signed with the Bills practice squad on August 31 after being a surprise cut by the Detroit Lions. The Bills kept just five receivers on its roster, along with placing Tyrell Shavers on the PUP list.