Silent in Week 9

O'Leary was not targeted during Sunday's 13-6 win over the Jets.

Analysis: O'Leary has now gone two straight weeks without recording an offensive stat. Despite O'Leary leading Miami in snaps at the tight end position (33) and being listed as the team's No. 1 option, Brock Osweiler's only pass thrown to a tight end Week 9 went to Mike Gesicki. Since recording four catches, 49 yards and a touchdown Week 6, O'Leary has failed to put up relevant fantasy numbers.

Two catches in loss

O'Leary nabbed two of three passes for 23 yards in Miami's 32-21 loss to the Lions on Sunday.

Analysis: O'Leary logged a larger snap count than fellow tight end Mike Gesicki (shoulder), but was outgained by the rookie's 44 receiving yards. As long as A.J. Derby (foot) remains sidelined, expect O'Leary and Gesicki to continue splitting snaps and targets.

Works as top tight end in Week 6

O'Leary started at tight end Sunday and finished with four receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown on four targets in the Dolphins' 31-28 overtime victory over the Bears. He played 52 of a possible 78 offensive snaps (67 percent) in the contest.

Analysis: Rookie Mike Gesicki had started the previous two games while A.J. Derby (foot) was out, but it was O'Leary who got the most work at tight end while Derby was sidelined for another contest. Though Derby seems to be nearing a return to game action after returning to practice last week, O'Leary's performance may have been enough to solidify himself as the top option at the position for the time being. While he worked ahead of Gesicki primarily for his superiority as a blocker, O'Leary showed some…read more

Jumps to active roster

O'Leary was promoted to the Dolphins' active roster Friday.

Analysis: With A.J. Derby (foot) out Week 5, the Dolphins promoted O'Leary for depth. The 26-year-old tight end caught 22 of 32 targets for 322 yards and two touchdowns for the Bills last year. He'll be the No. 3 tight end against the Bengals on Sunday and shouldn't be considered in fantasy settings.

Joins Miami's practice squad

O'Leary signed with the Dolphins' practice squad Thursday, Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Analysis: O'Leary spent the last three seasons with the Bills but failed to make the final 53-man roster for 2018. Since starter MarQueis Gray suffered a torn Achilles, the Dolphins have been using a three-tight end committee, so O'Leary could ultimately become a viable option for the team should Miami continue to struggle with production at the position this season.

Doesn't survive roster cut

O'Leary was part of Saturday's roster cutdown, John Murphy of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: The writing was on the wall for the fourth-year tight end. Even though O'Leary served as the main backup for Charles Clay for much of his first three pro years, Jason Croom had a far better camp and preseason, and from there the Bills needed better blocking options than O'Leary for the third and fourth spots.

Much-needed strong performance

O'Leary led the Bills with four catches for 70 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown catch, during Friday's preseason win over the Browns. "He made a big play for us. I thought Nate [Peterman] did a good job of finding him," coach Sean McDermott told Mitchell Courtney of the Bills' official site. "Nick is a good football player. He's played a lot of snaps for us, so I was happy to see him reap the benefits of his hard work."

Analysis: O'Leary headed into camp as the No. 2 tight end, but he's been pushed by Jason Croom, Logan Thomas, Khari Lee and Keith Towbridge to the point where he's been seeing action with the third team, as was the case for part of Friday's game. He probably saw so much action partly so the team can determine if it wants to keep him or cut him. Consider his performance Friday a win toward trying to beat out his competition.

No. 2 role not a lock

O'Leary, who's served mostly as the primary backup tight end the last three seasons behind Charles Clay, might be on the roster bubble with new candidates emerging in training camp, Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

Analysis: Logan Thomas, Khari Lee, Jason Croom and Keith Towbridge are all in the mix with O'Leary for what will likely be two backup spots behind Clay. O'Leary is serviceable, but he's also never wowed anyone in his three NFL seasons and he's so-so at a variety of things. At some point the Bills could end up looking for a better receiver or a better blocker. The coaches have let other tight ends sneak in some reps with the No. 2's in camp lately, so O'Leary will need to step up his game over the last…read more

No catches in preseason opener

O'Leary (ankle) did not catch a pass in Thursday's 28-23 loss to the Panthers in the preseason opener.

Analysis: O'Leary's prior ankle issue didn't prevent him from suiting up Thursday, but his lone contribution to the stat book came in the form of a tackle on special teams. The tight end will look to get more involved with the offense in next Friday's exhibition outing against the Browns.

Resumes practicing

O'Leary (ankle) has returned to practice, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: O'Leary was limited early in training camp, but he appears to be fine heading into Thursday's preseason opener against the Panthers. He could receive a good number of reps with Charles Clay and the starters likely to see limited action.

Returns to limited practice

O'Leary (foot/ankle) was limited at Tuesday's practice, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: O'Leary limped off the practice field Saturday and was spotted in a walking boot Sunday, but it turns out his injury isn't too serious. He's locked in as the Bills' No. 2 tight end, with the potential for a few more opportunities this season after averaging 10.1 yards on his 32 targets last year.

Spotted in walking boot

O'Leary (foot/ankle) wore a walking boot Sunday, Dan Fetes of WROC Rochester reports.

Analysis: One day after limping off the practice field, O'Leary was limited to spectator status while donning a boot on his injured right foot. His upcoming absence should free up first-team reps for Logan Thomas and Khari Lee in formations with multiple tight ends. Charles Clay is locked in atop the depth chart, but there's been some thought O'Leary could see an uptick in pass-catching opportunities after averaging 10.1 yards per target on 32 looks last season.

Limps off practice field Saturday

O'Leary was spotted limping off the field at Saturday's practice, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: The extent of O'Leary's issue is not well known at the moment. Prior to limping off the field a second time Saturday, O'Leary originally left practice with an ankle injury but soon returned. Buffalo will likely go down the cautious route with O'Leary -- the team's likely No . 2 tight end -- given that it is just Day 2 of training camp.

The Bills re-signed O'Leary -- an exclusive rights free agent -- this week, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: Starter Charles Clay is almost certain to be back for another season as well, so that leaves the pecking order pretty much the same as last season, with Clay, O'Leary and Logan Thomas as the top three guys heading into summer. The Bills are expected to address other needs instead of taking a top tight end in the upcoming draft, though it also wouldn't be a surprise if they added one in the middle to late rounds.

The Bills extended the exclusive rights tender to O'Leary on Tuesday, ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: O'Leary recorded a career-high 22 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games with the Bills last season. Charles Clay is still the starter in Buffalo, but O'Leary will serve as a solid backup in 2018.

O'Leary finished his third NFL season with 22 catches on 32 targets for 322 yards and two touchdowns.

Analysis: All of those figures were career highs, though they still kept O'Leary off the radar of most leagues. The new coaching staff seems to like him and wasn't afraid to give him regular looks when starter Charles Clay was out with a knee injury for a spell, though O'Leary still seems best suited as an NFL backup. Even if by the small chance Clay isn't brought back for 2018, the team would be more likely to put a bigger passing threat in the starter's role and ride O'Leary as the backup for another…read more

O'Leary (back) is active for Sunday's tilt against the Patriots.

Analysis: O'Leary missed some practice time this week but was able to register a limited participation in Friday's session. He'll operate as the backup to Charles Clay once again this week.

O'Leary (back) will be limited at practice Friday and listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: With starter Charles Clay ready to suit up against New England, O'Leary will operate out of his No. 2 tight end role (assuming he plays), something that doesn't offer much fantasy value in a run-based offense.

O'Leary (back) isn't practicing Wednesday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: O'Leary's back issue sidelined him for the Week 13 loss to the Patriots, but after suiting up for both of the Bills' past two contests without any reported setbacks, the tight end should be available for the rematch with New England in Week 16. The tight end's absence Wednesday is likely maintenance-related, but he'll still probably need to put in a full practice Thursday or Friday before being removed from the Bills' injury report.

O'Leary (back) wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Analysis: O'Leary's back injury kept him sidelined for the Week 13 loss to the Patriots, but it looks like he'll be ready to go for Sunday's matchup with the Colts. The third-year player plays second fiddle to Charles Clay (knee) at tight end, so don't expect O'Leary to earn many targets Sunday unless Clay's injury prevents him from playing.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that O'Leary (back) will be back at practice this week, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com reports.

Analysis: O'Leary was inactive for the first time all season in Sunday's loss the Patriots, but it appears the back injury will only cost him one week. Barring any setbacks during practice, expect O'Leary to be back for the Week 14 matchup against the Colts, working in a backup role to starting tight end Charles Clay.

O'Leary (back) will miss Sunday's showdown with the Patriots, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: O'Leary injured himself during last week's win over Kansas City and will now miss his first game of the season. Khari Lee and Logan Thomas will likely share the various backup tight end responsibilities behind starter Charles Clay.

O'Leary (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis: O'Leary has been targeted 26 times through 11 weeks, hauling in 18 receptions for 254 yards and one touchdown. If O'Leary is ultimately able to suit up Sunday, he'll continue to play second fiddle to fellow tight end Charles Clay (knee), who is expected to be available for the contest.

O'Leary (back) is not practicing again Thursday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: While he still might rally Friday, O'Leary has been taking a back seat to a mostly healthy Charles Clay in the offense once again. Couple that with his current injury and he's not a viable option this week, even though it would behoove the Bills to throw some surprises at the Patriots, a team that typically has their number.

O'Leary sat out Wednesday's practice with a back injury and is considered day-to-day, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com reports.

Analysis: It's suspected that the tight end's back issue stems from Sunday's win over the Chiefs. O'Leary has taken a backseat in the Bills' passing attack the last three weeks following Charles Clay's return from a knee scope, hauling in four passes for 33 yards and a touchdown since that time.

O'Leary caught both his two targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Chiefs.

Analysis: O'Leary was on the field for 43 percent of the offensive snaps, not all that much less than Charles Clay's 64 percent as the latter continues to work his way up to full speed from a knee injury. However, Clay is clearly Tyrod Taylor's main guy (4-60-0 on Sunday), primarily leaving O' Leary to handle blocking duties and serve as an occasional secondary target.

O'Leary caught one of two targets for a seven-yard touchdown in Sunday's 47-10 loss to New Orleans.

Analysis: The touchdown was the first of O'Leary's career. O'Leary took the reins with Charles Clay out in recent weeks with three 50-yard games in his previous four outings. He showed Sunday that he can still be somewhat productive with Clay back in the fold, seeing the field for 19 offensive snaps to Clay's 29, but it is also likely that Clay will begin overtaking some of those snaps in the coming weeks as he knocks off some of the rust from his mid-season knee injury. Expect O'Leary's production to…read more

O'Leary's teammate Charles Clay (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints.

Analysis: O'Leary has been starting since Clay underwent a minor procedure on his knee, but it looks like the starter will return in at least some capacity this week. Couple that with the team debut of receiver Kelvin Benjamin and it looks like O'Leary is about to become a more minor part of the offense.

O'Leary brought in four of five targets for 51 yards in Thursday's 34-21 loss to the Jets. He also lost a fumble.

Analysis: O'Leary lost the ball on what was his longest gain of the night, a 20-yard reception with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter. The second-year tight end was stripped by Marcus Maye at the Jets' 31-yard line and the ball was recovered by Jamal Adams, snuffing out a potential scoring opportunity. O'Leary's play in Charles Clay's stead while the latter recovers from a knee injury has been solid otherwise, with the 25-year-old also having posted a combined seven receptions for 112 yards in Weeks 5…read more