Buffalo Bills: How will offense replace Charles Clay?

When the Buffalo Bills return from their bye in Week 7, they’ll be without tight end Charles Clay. How will they make up for his absence?

The Buffalo Bills enter their bye week with three wins and two losses, exceeding critics’ expectations. Sean McDermott’s Bills are tied for first place in the AFC East, a division that has been dominated by the New England Patriots since Tom Brady took over as quarterback. McDermott has the Bills defense playing at the top of their game in his first year, as they have carried this team through the first five games of the season.

Before going into the off week, the Bills suffered a tough loss to the Bengals on the road in Week 5, as quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw a crucial interception down the stretch to seal a 20-16 win for Cincinnati. After the Bills beat the Falcons on the road the week before, the team came out flat and fell to 3-2 as a result.

The biggest story line of the game for the Bills wasn’t the loss, but rather tight end Charles Clay leaving the game with a knee injury. Clay has been Taylor’s go-to receiver all season, and has been arguably one of the best tight ends in the league.

It is unclear how long Clay will be out for, but he is expected to miss multiple weeks. The Bills came into the season already thin at the tight end position. Next up on the depth chart is Nick O’Leary, a third-year pro out of Florida State. He will be tasked with replacing Clay as Taylor’s security blanket. O’Leary had the best game of his career after the starter went down, as he raked in 54 yards on five catches.

After O’Leary, the Bills will have former quarterback Logan Thomas next on the depth chart at tight end. To this point, he has struggled to find playing time this season. On the other hand, Thomas has been praised by the coaching staff with his run blocking ability.

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The bye week has come at just the right time for the Bills. After a tough loss in Cincinnati, they can regroup and try to pick up where they left off in Atlanta. The loss of Clay could turn out to be a massive blow for this offense. It will all depend on how O’Leary and perhaps Thomas fill in while the veteran is out of commission.