Week 6 in the AFC East kicks off with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Carolina Panthers, the New England Patriots heading out west to face the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Jets host the Philadephia Eagles, and the Buffalo Bills host the New York Giants. Each team has been battered and beaten by injuries this year which shows not only in some of their records but also outlook as the season progresses.
Below are the full injury reports for each team heading into Week 6.
Reporting note: Due to the high volume of injuries for each AFC East team each week along with many players showing up weekly, there will be changes in the reporting and analysis.
New injuries will be broken down with available information every week. If there is not any additional details or insight into an injury other than designation, it will not be addressed. If a player is on the injury report for consecutive weeks, he will not be addressed unless there is a notable change in status.
As always, you can always check past injury reports or for further questions, you can contact me at @BangedUpBills on X, Instagram, or Reddit.
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Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets | Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
OUT
C Connor Williams (Groin)
Williams officially suffered a groin injury midway through the Week 3 beatdown of the Denver Broncos. He missed Week 4 before returning to play in Week 5 in 100 percent of snaps.
Head coach Mike McDaniels noted that it’s become a maintenance issue at this point due to it being a long season. They also stated that this is not a groin tear, but a strain is a tear of the muscle, varying grades indicate severity. My bet is that he tweaked it and they don’t think it’s a good idea to try and play through it.
RB Alec Ingold (Foot)
Ingold suffered a foot injury in Sunday’s win over the Giants, unable to practice Wednesday before getting limited reps on Thursday and Friday. He is questionable but with the decreased depth available at the running back position, Ingold may be necessary in goal-line situations and blocking.
WR Braxton Berrios (Knee)
Despite being limited on Wednesday, Berrios was a full participant the rest of the week and has no designation.
LB Jaelan Phillips (Oblique)
Phillips is officially questionable after missing the last two games with an oblique injury suffered in Week 3. The fact that he has missed two games
signified that the injury is a rather moderate strain that they don’t want to aggravate. While he is missed, they are best to let him get right so he can bend the edge without hesitation.
OL Rob Hunt (Knee)
After missing several reps on Thursday due to a knee injury, Hunt was able to practice in full Friday and has no game-day designation.
RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (Ribs/Finger)
Wilson is officially doubtful after working through rib and finger injuries sustained prior to Week 1. He is doubtful due to the fact that he has not been activated to the roster yet which means they won’t play him just yet. He has another two weeks before they have to make a decision, but to activate him means they have to have a corresponding roster transaction.
OL Rob Jones (Knee)
Jones was limited all week with a knee injury and is officially questionable.
CB Nik Needham (Achilles)
Needham is doubtful but needs to be activated to the roster before he can play, the team has one more week to make a decision on whether he can be activated or return to IR.
RB De’Von Achane (Right knee)
Achane was placed on injured reserve earlier this week with a right knee injury sustained in the fourth quarter of Week 5. By video, it appears as though it was a garden-variety MCL sprain, but he was placed on injured reserve with very few details. We’re not getting some of the information which is the Dolphins’ prerogative, but this injury is clearly more significant than what the video shows
New England Patriots
OUT
OL Tyrone Wheatley (Knee)
Wheatley suffered a knee injury in practice Friday, ruling him out for Sunday.
WR Demario Douglas (Concussion)/WR Juju Smith-Schuster (Concussion)
Both suffered concussions in Week 6, unable to practice all week before being ruled out on Friday.
G Cole Strange (Knee)
After suffering a knee injury the first week of training camp, Strange appeared to suffer a re-injury in Week 4 that saw him get downgraded out for Week 5. There has never been additional information as to the specifics of the knee injury, but I expect this knee injury to continue to linger as he misses another week.
QUESTIONABLE
CB Kyle Duggar (Foot)
Dugger suffered a foot injury in practice on Thursday, leaving him limited on Thursday and Friday, making him officially questionable for the game.
LB Josh Uche (Knee)
Uche was limited all week with a knee injury suffered in Sunday’s contest and like everyone else, is questionable for the game.
DT Christian Barmore (Knee)
Barmore continues to work through a knee injury that appears to be chronic, dating back to his rookie season. This injury first appeared prior to Week 3 but he has not missed any time.
OT Trent Brown (Chest)
Brown suffered a chest injury late in practice last week but did not miss the game, appearing in 100 percent of offensive plays.
DL Davon Godchaux (Ankle)
Godchaux suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 but was able to play through the injury the last two games, appearing in 40 snaps.
CB Jonathan Jones (Ankle)
Jones continues to be limited by an ankle injury just prior to Week 2 that kept him out of the following three games. He was able to return to play last week, playing in 67 percent of snaps.
OL Mike Onwenu (Ankle)
Onwenu appeared to have injured his left ankle in the play below during Sunday’s game. He was coming off off-season ankle surgery after suffering an ankle injury in Week 18 last year. It’s not clear which side the injury was for the surgery, but after missing the season opener, this setback does not look good for Sunday.
OL Riley Reiff (Right Knee)
Reiff is on the injury report despite getting activated from injured reserve prior to last week as he works through the right knee injury suffered in the final preseason game.
CB Shaun Wade (Shoulder)
Wade suffered a shoulder injury late in practice prior to Week 5.
PUP/IR
LB Matthew Judon (Right Elbow)
Judon has not officially been placed on injured reserve due to his distal biceps tear and will not play Sunday.
DB Cody Davis (Knee)
Davis continues to work off to the side on PUP as he works back from a Week 6 knee injury that cost him the remainder of the 2022 season. He has been ruled out.
DE Trey Flowers (Foot)
After signing with the Patriots in the preseason, Flowers was immediately placed on PUP as he works back from either a foot injury or off-season surgery. He has been ruled out.
WR Tyquan Thornton (Shoulder)
Thornton opened his 21-day practice window earlier this week but has not yet been reinstated to the roster following his preseason shoulder injury. Considering the roster issues due to all the injuries, we could see him get activated on Saturday.
New York Jets
OUT
CB Brandin Echols (Hamstring)
Echols will miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring strain suffered against the Dallas Cowboys.
CB Justin Hardee (Hamstring)
Hardee was a new addition to the injury report this week with a hamstring strain suffered in Sunday’s game. He was unable to practice all week and was ruled out for Week 6.
CB DJ Reed (Concussion)
Reed will miss his second consecutive game following a concussion suffered in Week 4 after appearing in every defensive snap.
QUESTIONABLE
FB Nick Bawden (Calf)
Bawden worked through a calf injury this week, increasing his participation daily until he finished with a full practice Friday. He is officially questionable and it may come down to how he feels as he warms up on Sunday.
CB Sauce Gardner (Illness)
Gardner missed practice Friday with an illness but is expected to play.
Update: he has since been ruled out with a concussion.
DL Michael Clemons (Ankle)
Clemons was working through an ankle injury that he appeared to aggravate Thursday with a limited designation. He followed it up Friday, limited, and ruled questionable.
CB Xavier Gipson (Ankle)
Gipson was a late addition to the injury report with an ankle designation.
ACTIVE
OT Mekhi Becton (Left Knee)
Becton continues to limit his reps through the week as part of his load management.
OL Billy Turner (Toe)
Turner suffered a toe injury late last week but played through the injury on Sunday.
OL Joe Tippman (Knee)
Tippmann was able to practice in full all week after suffering a knee injury on Sunday.
INJURED RESERVE
G Alijah Vera-Tucker (Achilles tear)
AVT suffered an Achilles tear on Sunday midway through the game, even playing in one additional snap before exiting the game. His season is done and barring setbacks,
Buffalo Bills
QUESTIONABLE
CB Dane Jackson (Foot)
Jackson missed Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury sustained in the loss to the Jaguars. He was able to play in 100 percent of snaps which makes the injury all the more confusing.
He can be seen going through warmups in the video above which is promising but difficult to determine whether he will suit up on Sunday. Due to the fact that there isn’t a clear mechanism of injury in film, this may come down to a pain tolerance issue and how he feels Sunday night. It’s interesting that he is in sneakers as that would provide more support than cleats, further suggesting a pain issue. Considering the depth issues at cornerback, I am expecting that he will suit up.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Concussion)
Kincaid was placed in the concussion protocol on Monday after returning from London. This came after a hit over the middle early in the fourth quarter after a routine catch. He went for a concussion check and later returned to the game.
While this was Kincaid’s first documented concussion, he has passed through the protocol rather quickly, getting non-contact work in by Thursday. He was able to practice on Friday, indicating he was not cleared by the independent neurologist, but this can still occur on Saturday leaving his chances to play on Sunday still alive.
It’s worth highlighting that Kincaid was seen without a non-contact jersey below indicating that he may have progressed to Stage 5 as that allows contact at practice before being cleared.
Saturday’s practice squad elevations may hint at Kincaid’s status for Sunday.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Wrist)
Knox suffered a right wrist sprain after catching a pass late in the fourth quarter. He was brought down initially without incident before a Jacksonville defender came crashing over the pile, striking his helmet on Knox’s right wrist. He stayed in the game but required the wrist to be taped up afterward.
The veteran tight end was seen at the Sabres game on Thursday with a wrist brace on the area further suggesting that this is more of at least a sprain as seen above. While he is catching a ball fairly well in the video below, my concern is blocking and whether he will win his battles.
He was able to practice throughout the week as a limited designation with the wrist still taped up. He is officially questionable heading into Sunday. Considering how the wrist was hit, a sprain would be a great outcome. It’s possible there is more damage in there that the team will never reveal.
Due to how the wrist was hit, the need for the brace outside of practice, and the duties of the tight end, he may be best to sit this one out this week.
ACTIVE
CB Christian Benford (Right Shoulder)
Benford was able to practice in full this week after missing on Sunday due to what was likely a shoulder contusion suffered in Week 4. With the questionable status of Dane Jackson this week, Benford’s presence is even more important, especially opposite Kaiir Elam or even Ja’Marcus Ingram.
DE Shaq Lawson (Toe)
Lawson was a late addition to the injury report on Saturday with a toe designation. No additional information was given as to what happened but he missed the game. He was able to practice in full this week indicating that this may have been a one-off issue.
DE Greg Rousseau (Right Foot)
Rousseau was limited all week with a foot injury suffered in Week 4 when Ed Oliver fell with his knee onto his foot. He was able to finish the game before missing Week 5. Despite practicing all week, he was not able to get a lot of explosion of the foot and appeared to favor the left foot when pushing off to rush.
I’m really surprised that he is active with no game-day designation, but I would expect them to have his lineup over the right tackle and possibly limit snaps in certain situations. I do expect Rousseau to linger on the injury report for several more weeks.
You can also see the extensive tape job up his ankle on the right side midway through the video below, indicating that the foot requires a lot of external support for stability.
INJURED RESERVE
LB Baylon Spector (Right Hamstring)
Spector has practiced in full all week from his right hamstring strain suffered in the preseason game 3 against the Bears. He was placed on injured reserve after roster cutdowns and appears ready to play. He is now waiting for a roster spot to open to be reinstated to the roster.
Top Photo Credit: Phinsider.com
