The Buffalo Bills continue to progress through training camp with injuries minimally affecting the overall makeup of the roster. Injury scares here and there have popped up, eliciting brief worry and fear from everyone, but the Bills appear to be far healthier so far than they were at this point last year.
Below are the full injury details on every known camp injury along with updates on PUP players and general observations.
Camp Injuries
CB Kyron Brown (Groin)
Shortly after signing with the team, Brown suffered a groin injury on Sunday, missing Monday and Tuesday practice before returning for Thursday.
WR Bryan Thompson (Concussion)
Thompson left with training staff on Sunday, later diagnosed with a concussion. He has been unable to practice since then. Hopefully, he is nearing the end of the concussion protocol, but I have not seen any reports of him working out off to the side.
DT Tim Settle (Groin)
Settle missed Tuesday’s practice with a groin designation following Monday’s practice. His absence was brief as he returned to practice on Thursday.
WR Isaiah Coulter (Knee)
Coulter suffered a knee injury that does not have any additional specifics past the designation, unable to practice all week.
QB Josh Allen (Lower right leg)
Allen has had two scares in practice this week when Allen went out for a pass and was tackled by Taron Johnson. He was slow to get up and appeared to have the wind knocked out of him.
The other instance was when Allen was kicked in his right lower leg during team drills. He kept looking at his right lower leg and at one point, removed his shoe. He limped around a little bit after but was able to improve his walking as he progressed through the day.
OT Spencer Brown (Back)
As the tweet shows above, Brown appeared to have some discomfort following practice, unable to bend down to grab his helmet. Hopefully, this was just a spasm following a long practice, but something to monitor after he had microdiscectomy surgery in May of 2022.
Fortunately, he suited up on Friday during the scrimmage at the stadium suggesting that this was a big nothing burger.
LB Matt Milano & CB Taron Johnson (General soreness)
Both were held out of the scrimmage Friday due to what the team termed as general soreness. That is a phrase used frequently during training camp and has covered some significant injuries at times. I don’t believe there to be anything of concern for either player, but until we get more info on each player, this will be something to monitor.
DT Ed Oliver (Right groin)
Oliver missed a portion of Friday’s scrimmage and was even seen in the medical tent, but did not receive a specific designation. However, clues from earlier in the week may signal what he is dealing with.
Oliver can be seen with a wrap on his right groin area at the end of the video below. You can see the screenshot easier above, but it’s possible he could have tweaked the groin again and then shut him down to be safe.
Observations
G Ryan Bates (Left leg)
Bates was wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg during Monday’s practice but did not miss any time or have a designation.
DE Shane Ray (Left calf)
Ray has been wearing a piece of KT tape on his left calf, not missing anytime.
OT Dion Dawkins (Right leg)
Dawkins had to wear a compression sleeve on his right leg on Monday but did not have to wear it on Tuesday.
LS Reid Ferguson (Undisclosed)
According to Locked On Bills host Joe Marino, Reid Ferguson missed Monday’s practice but was able to return for Tuesday’s practice. If Ferguson were to miss any time, AJ Epenesa is the backup long snapper.
PUP
LB Tyler Matakevich (Right calf)
Matakevich remains on PUP with a right calf injury likely sustained the week prior to training camp. I expect him to be activated next week based on historical timelines.
LB Von Miller (Right knee)
Miller continues to battle back from his right ACL tear suffered on Thanksgiving last season. His straight-line running continues to look good as he rehabs, but cutting and bending the edge is lacking at times.
He has posted that he “is close” but it remains to be seen if the team activates him during training camp. He is approaching the nine-month mark on August 6 and ten months will be just prior to Week 1. If he gets activated, this will be an exceptional progression through rehab.
DT Jordan Phillips (Right shoulder/left leg)
Phillips has been able to ditch the right arm sleeve but is now working through a left groin/quad issue based on the tape in the pictures below. He may be nearing a return, but until the soft tissue issues resolve, he may be delayed in passing his physical.
Impressions
Overall, the Bills continue to stay healthy with their main contributors. Most of the injuries that we see above are relatively minor or are to guys fighting for roster spots. We can see how the bumps and bruises are becoming more prevalent but hopefully, these issues remain minor and don’t become nagging.
The Bills host the Indianapolis Colts next Saturday and we should get more clarification in the coming week as to who will play and who won’t. Let’s continue to hope that they avoid the major injuries seen around the league as they get closer and closer to Week 1.
Top Photo Credit: LAPRESSE
