It’s deja vu all over again!
That phrase really is applicable to this season already and we haven’t played meaningful football. Injuries continue to occur at a high rate and major injures are part of Bills football yet again. This has been the case in 2022 and 2023 with the hopes that it does not continue in 2024, but it already feels like as though it is. It has been another busy week at One Bills Drive as they look to retool the roster as players availability changes, especially on the defensive side.
The biggest news coming out of this week was the injury to LB Matt Milano, his second major injury in two seasons. While the Bills deal with the fallout of that, they need to refocus on getting the available players ready.
Below are all the injury updates coming out of this past week and analysis.
Injury History
WR Curtis Samuel (Vet Rest/General Soreness)
Samuel sat out of practice on August 13 due to general soreness which is a smart decision given his injury history. He followed that up with resting once again on August 15.
OL Travis Clayton (Right Shoulder)
Clayton has been battling a right shoulder injury since July 26 and has been out since July 30. While he will go to the practice squad as an exemption, losing the physical reps only stunts his growth.
DE Casey Toohill (Groin)
Toohill has been out since August 8 with a groin injury but was observed going through a strenuous workout to the side during Thursday’s practice according to Joe Buscaglia.
LB Nicholas Morrow (Core Muscle/Groin)
Morrow exited practice during the Return of the Blue and Red scrimmage with a core muscle/groin injury. The continued use of the core designation suggests that he may eventually require surgery. With the IR designated to return rules being clarified, they may be waiting for him to be placed there so he can undergo surgery to repair the damage.
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps Tear)
The surprising news coming out about Milano’s biceps tendon tear is highly unfortunate. He is out for the foreseeable future. To read more about the injury, click below.
S Cole Bishop (Left Shoulder)
Bishop was observed working out to the side doing some light conditioning, the first time he’s done anything other than the bike since his July 30 injury.
This is promising as his pain is likely reducing and his motion/strength is improving that he can tolerate higher level movement. It will be a little bit before he puts pads back on, but he’s trending in the right direction. Working with the theory that he fractured his scapula, he is two weeks out and should be about another month.
Joe Buscaglia noted in his article that Bishop had tape under his shirt on the left shoulder. This is likely kinesiotape to provide some extra support around the area as he ran and began moving the arm during exercise again.
S Mike Edwards (Right Hamstring)
Edwards continues to miss practice with what appears to be at least a moderate hamstring strain originally suffered on July 28. Based on past management of hamstring injuries in the preseason, the hope is that he returns to practice after the Steelers preseason game.
S Damar Hamlin (Left Leg)
Hamlin exited practice against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the upper portion of his left leg wrapped. He downplayed the injury as something minor with the regular season fast approaching. Without a picture, it’s hard to discern the specific area to whether it’s a quad, hamstring, or even adductor.
We may get more info in the coming days but with all the recent injuries, it’s best to be proactive.
LB Dorian Williams (Undisclosed)
Williams briefly required attention from the training staff during Thursday’s practice for an undisclosed reason. Whatever the issue was, Williams downplayed it knowing he can’t have anything holding him back from making the most of his opportunity now that Matt Milano is out.
CB Kaiir Elam (Heat)
Elam looked to struggle with the heat on Thursday needing oxygen and removing his pass to cool off. Even in mid-August, Pittsburgh can get quite steamy and it’s best that Elam stopped practicing to cool down before he suffered from heat exhaustion. He was unable to finish practice.
S Taylor Rapp (Undisclosed)
Rapp briefly required attention from the training staff and spent some time on the sidelines during Thursday’s practice.
DE Javon Solomon (Undisclosed)
Solomon briefly went down following special teams drill in noticeable pain. According to Joe Buscaglia, he may have been hit in the genitals which would cause any man to pause for several moments. This is a gentle reminder that NFL players don’t wear cups.
LB Terrel Bernard (Undisclosed)
Bernard briefly required attention from the training staff Thursday before returning to practice. While there isn’t additional details, he did require some brief attention for his back during the Red and Blue scrimmage before quickly returning. Potentially unrelated but worth noting.
CB Cam Lewis (Undisclosed)
Another potential non-issue is when Lewis came up limping after colliding with the padding behind the end zone. Should he miss time later though, this could be a culprit.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Ankle/Groin)
Knox sat out Thursday’s practice due to a right ankle and groin designation. In the picture below, a sleeve is observed on his ankle as he walks by. This appears to be a new injury, though it’s unclear to the specifics.
As for his groin, he did sit out of practice on August 4 with a groin/vet rest day. The fact that he’s sitting out again for the groin indicates that this is lingering or potentially a chronic issue. It won’t necessarily stop him from playing, but there is a pattern now and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this linger.
LB Baylon Spector (Right Calf)
Spector sat out Thursday with a right calf injury potentially sustained during Tuesday’s practice. This is yet another issue for Spector that keeps him out of key reps at the linebacker position. He is expected to miss about a week per Sean McDermott.
WR Lawrence Keys (Foot)
Keys missed practice on Thursday due to a leg/foot injury from Tuesday’s practice.
Returned From Injury/Notes
QB Mitch Trubisky (Personal)
Trubisky missed practice on August 12 for a personal matter leaving Josh Allen as the only healthy quarterback on the roster.
DT DaQuan Jones (Groin)
Jones has been out since August 5 due to a veteran rest day and then missed practice the rest of the week as he dealt with a groin injury. He was able to return to practice on August 13.
RB Ty Johnson (Right Hamstring)
Johnson finally returned to practice on August 11 after a two week layoff after suffering a right hamstring strain early in camp. He continues to wear a sleeve but is exhibiting power and explosiveness in his drills as he works back.
WR Mack Hollins (Leg Soreness)
Hollins missed the first preseason game with leg soreness after missing practice on August 8 but returned to practice on August 11.
WR Justin Shorter (Left Knee)
Shorter sat out practice from August 5 through August 11, missing the first preseason game with a left knee injury.
WR KJ Hamler (Stinger)
Hamler missed the August 8 practice with an undisclosed injury that I was later informed was a stinger. He was able to play in the first preseason game without issue.
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio (Ribs)
After suffering a rib injury on August 2, Ulofoshio was out for just over a week, returning to practice with a red jersey on August 11. It’s unclear whether this was a rib fracture, contusion, or cartilage, but I’m leaning towards the first two. It is promising that he was able to return to practice unrestricted on Thursday.
Injured Reserve
WR Chase Claypool (Left Toe)
Claypool was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday after failing to rehab effectively from what appeared to be a turf toe injury sustained originally on July 28. He was originally day-to-day, but the fact that the toe injury did not get better was not surprising at all but, unfortunately, he could not advance his rehab enough to get back on the practice field.
He could spend the rest of the season on injured reserve, get an injury settlement, and go elsewhere. He could also sign with Buffalo again later but would have to wait three weeks in addition to the terms of the injury settlement length.
QB Shane Buechele (Neck)
Buechele was placed on injured reserve due to a neck injury sustained in the loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. There were not any indications he suffered the injury at the time, but he likely woke up the next day with pain that led the team to image him. Considering that he is week-to-week, it’s highly likely that he suffered some type of disc issue or even fracture.
Ideally, it’s a fracture that will heal more reliably than possibly a disc issue. Muscle strains/sprains don’t linger that long in the neck with them making a decision like that placing him on IR. I could see him getting an injury settlement to try and latch on elsewhere or play later with the Bills.
WR Bryan Thompson (Right Hamstring)
Thompson suffered a right hamstring strain while running a route early in the fourth quarter, ending his day early. He was later deemed week-to-week before the team placed him on injured reserve.
He could be eligible for an injury settlement but he may want to sit on injured reserve and continue to learn and develop.
New Signings
QB Ben DiNucci
WR Deon Cain
WR Damiere Byrd
Final Thoughts
It’s fortunate that Brandon Beane spent so much time drafting and signing free agent depth for positions all over the roster. Injuries are bound to happen, but the amount that the defense is suffering is difficult to deal with. The team still has quality players to step up and play, but the concern is when those players get hurt. The “next man up” mentality certainly applies but it was quickly worn out last season.
The training staff has a tough job to do every season and the injuries they get guys to play through impressive. Unfortunately, they can’t prevent all injuries and this week shows the hard reality of that.
Last year’s trip to Pittsburgh in the preseason did not end well especially for several players including Matt Barkley, Tommy Doyle, and Shane Ray. Let’s hope for better injury luck and the injuries already seen this year are the worst of it all.
Top Photo Credit: Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
