Bills Elevate Former $33 Million Defensive Back Prior To Playoff Showdown

The Buffalo Bills may be 8.5 point favorites against Sean Payton and Bo Nix‘s Denver Broncos, but that doesn’t mean they should be taking what could be a banana skin matchup lightly.

The Bills under Josh Allen have not been one-and-done in the playoffs since his postseason debut in 2019, where the Bills fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the more uninspiring Wild Card games in playoff history.

Yet, alongside having a lethal defense that leads the league in sacks, this Broncos offense has become one of the sneakily more potent in the AFC, ranking at 10th in the NFL in scoring offense including a Week 17 regular season crescendo 38-0 victory against the (admittedly mostly second string) Kansas City Chiefs.

As a result, the Bills have made a roster precaution to ensure that passing defense, which has been hit-and-miss this year – ranking 25th in passing yards allowed, stays solid – per the Bills’ PR account on X.

A precaution that will be very familiar to their upcoming opponents on Sunday…

Elevated S Kareem Jackson and WR Jalen Virgil for Sunday’s game vs. Denver

— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 11, 2025

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Kareem Jackson Elevated To The Game Day Roster

Former Denver Broncos starting strong safety and crucial defensive operator, Kareem Jackson – who signed a 3 year, $33 million deal back in 2019 – will be on the game day roster, having been signed from the practice squad for the first game of the playoffs.

The 15-year veteran spent four full years in Denver, from 2019 to 2022, before being cut by the franchise in the last couple of weeks of  the 2023 season following multiple hits and suspensions throughout the season.

Aged 36, Jackson clearly still has a big love for the game – few veterans that have made almost $80 million over the span of their career are willing to sit on the practice squad, waiting for their opportunity to re-enter the fold.

Could Jackson See Substantial Playing Time On Sunday?

Perhaps a reason for the former Texan’s elevation stem from the minor injury issues surrounding starting strong safety, Taylor Rapp – who has been dealing with a neck injury.

Despite being a full participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and being set to play on this weekend, it could be that the elevation of Jackson is a smart move to provide quality insurance in the unfortunate case of a re-aggravation of the issue – particularly given the fragility and importance of the body part.

Another reason could simply be Jackson’s healthy playoff experience; as a Texan he went to the postseason, including in 2023 after re-signing with Houston in the aftermath of being cut by Denver.

Whilst talent clearly matters, so does experience – particularly in a top heavy, cerebral position like safety. Rapp has just one playoff game under his belt in his career, compared to the 8 accumulated by Jackson, so being able to rely on the expertise of a fellow position player – even if it is just on a knowledge-only basis – could be far more valuable than people realize.

And against ingenious coaches like Sean Payton – particularly when they have young, talented skill players to execute their plays – experience and understanding is key.