Bills petering out at offensive tackle

August, 12, 2008
Aug 12
1:43
AM ET
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By Tim Graham
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

PITTSFORD, NY. -- Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, holding out for a new contract, might have gained some serious leverage Monday night.

The Bills lost two reserve tackles during their under-the-lights scrimmage at St. John Fisher College.

In a matter of minutes during 11-on-11 drills, Patrick Estes limped off with an undisclosed leg injury and Matt Murphy suffered a left shoulder injury. Murphy's injury was serious enough that he was whisked to a nearby hospital.

The injuries leave the Bills with only three tackles on the roster: first-team left tackle Langston Walker (who was moved from the right side in Peters' absence), first-team right tackle Kirk Chambers (one career start in his four-year career) and seventh-round draft pick Demetrius Bell.

"Not much depth right now," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "You would like to be real deep. It just seems that there are those times where you just get hit in a spot, and right now that is the spot."

The Bills will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in Toronto. Buffalo's front office will have to scramble one way or another for help unless they want to risk letting Walker and Chambers play extended minutes.

"You would like to have a whole bunch of [offensive tackles] in a preseason game, but you can get through the game with two, and if you ever got down to one you would do something to get by," Jauron said.

"I wish we were deeper, but right now we are not."

One way to get deeper in a hurry would be convincing Peters to report.

The Bills have been reluctant to negotiate with a player not in camp and have been fining him more than $15,000 a day. Peters has been reluctant to return management's calls.

Both parties have more reason to check in with each other this morning.

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