Going into Week 2, the Bills continue to look healthy as they travel down to North Carolina to battle McDermott/Beane’s former employer, the Carolina Panthers. While the Bills are not immune to injuries, they still continue to look better than other teams around the league injury wise, losing no big pieces such as the Chiefs and Jaguars did last week.
Breaking down the injury report, DT Jerel Worthy is still out with a concussion from the preseason game against the Lions on 8/31. As he is not practicing, he is still most likely in the early stages of the concussion protocol, most likely on Level 2-3 at best. To refresh, he may be cleared to begin light aerobic activity with watching game film and participating in team meetings. He may also be cleared for lifting and increasing intensity with aerobic activity. Considering he has not been moved to IR with designation to return, it appears as though he is continuing to recover and may be ready by Week 3-4. The fact that he has not recovered as quickly as Tyrod Taylor did indicates that it may be a more severe concussion; also consider positional demands. Though he is not a starting player, he is crucial for depth and can continue to provide effective play in place of the starters.
Those limited in practice are as follows: S Colt Anderson (foot), CB Leonard Johnson (quad) and LB Tanner Vallejo (knee). Thankfully, none of these players are starters, but for a team to be successful, they must have depth. Colt Anderson has rarely seen the field since joining the Bills last year. He has been described as a special teams ace, but has yet to show his array of skills so far. Considering that he has not been outright waived yet, this indicates that the team will continue to wait for his recovery. As for what is ailing him, professionally, I have been unable to truly assess as there is no film or detailed description of injury on him. Leonard Johnson is listed with a quad; due to the position and demands, possibly could be a quad contusion, which is typically known as a deep bruise. This would limit running forward/backwards and prevent planting effectively to perform coverage duties in the secondary. Finally, Tanner Vallejo is listed as a knee and continues to be limited. Early in the preseason, Vallejo sustained a shoulder injury which knocked him out for several preseason games. It is unknown when Vallejo sustained his knee injury, but it was reported that he had a knee scope which indicates that he may have had fraying of the meniscus or a loose body, causing pain and discomfort. As a knee scope is a surgical procedure, as minimal as it is, will still require rehab and rest. He will have to ensure that his knee does not swell up frequently and can adjust to game time activity. Regardless, this is not a good start to Vallejo’s rookie campaign.
Those cleared for full practice were as follows: TE Charles Clay (shoulder), CB E.J. Gaines (shoulder), OT Cordy Glenn (foot), RB LeSean McCoy (wrist/groin), and FB Mike Tolbert (knee). In my previous article, Gaines and McCoy sustained injuries in the win over the Jets that knocked McCoy out briefly and knocked Gaines out for the game. Gaines’ injury was not reported to be serious and does not appear to have any long lasting effects. McCoy is worrisome as he is the force that drives the offense. McCoy stated after the game that he did not injure his wrist severely, but that it went numb briefly during the previous run into the end zone. It has also been reported later that he is dealing with a groin injury that was most likely sustained in practice. While he is a full participant, this is still something that must be watched due to requiring the groin to be ready for bursts and cutting, moves especially crucial to any running back.
Other injuries including Glenn, Tolbert, and Clay do not appear to be serious. While Glenn continues to have issues with his foot, it appears to now be different from the ankle injuries he dealt with at the beginning of training camp. There is not much information regarding the exact ailment; he is able to play, splitting time with Dion Dawkins to keep both lineman fresh and healthy. Clay and Tolbert did not appear to be removed from the Jets game for injury, possibly indicating that they are banged up due to the physical nature of the game. As practice is important, rest is more important. Teams under the current CBA are allowed 14 padded practices during the first 11 weeks of the season and coaches are not required to use all of them. I believe that McDermott will limit padded practices and provide maintenance days for veterans, focusing on proper play calling, technique, and keeping everyone healthy to maintain depth.
The Bills certainly have a winnable game later today. Cam Newton is coming off a rotator cuff tear repair which should not limit him physically, but the rust was evident in Week 1. Add in the fact that McDermott knows the nuances of the Carolina defense and personnel, expect to see the Bills to exploit those weaknesses. Continue to look for updates after the game with injury review, analysis around the league of significant injuries, and any other big news. Thank you for your time and Go Bills!
