The Buffalo Bills wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp on Thursday as they enter a six-week break before training camp begins at the end of July. A significant amount of solid work was completed over the last three days, along with various injury updates on multiple players. As a result, numerous players sat out as a precaution.
Despite all the injuries below, Sean McDermott is confident that none of the injuries should linger into training camp.
Read below for a deep breakdown of each and every injury along with analysis and observations.
Missed Entire Minicamp
DE Joey Bosa (Calf)
One of the more notable storylines coming out of minicamp was the health of Joey Bosa. He originally suffered a calf injury on May 22 while working out during Phase 2 of OTA’s. He has been rehabbing since and this week we saw him performing a variety of drills with the training staff.
Considering he suffered the injury on May 22, he was three weeks removed and the way he was moving strongly suggested a Grade 1 strain. He was held out more of a precaution given his injury history and how short of a duration minicamp was. He noted in The Buffalo News how he would have been pushing to play had this been the regular season.
There is a chance he could aggravate the injury during training camp, but I expect him to be as healthy as possible when training camp starts in late July. I also expect that he will get frequent rest days and limit his reps to avoid any other injuries.
WR KJ Hamler (Undisclosed)
Hamler missed all three days of minicamp with an undisclosed injury. He was able to participate last week during the June 3 OTA’s when the media was available. This means that his injury happened within the last week and I don’t recall seeing any reports he was even out there.
The Bills have been very quiet on more serious injuries such as when Zach Davidson tore his ACL two years ago, but this does not suggest that Hamler has a similar injury. He spent all season on the practice squad last year which doesn’t offer any insight to anything he may have been dealing with.
What this does establish is a rough timeline in the event that there are later updates.
CB Cam Lewis (Right calf)
Lewis has been out the last two weeks dealing with an undisclosed injury. He was not present last week and there weren’t reports that he was doing work off to the side. This establishes his timeline from when he last practiced to May 20 if there are updates.
He did deal with a right shoulder and neck issue during the second half of the season, but it’s not clear if this is the issue. Considering he was participating prior, this doesn’t suggest surgery for either area. We need more information at this time.
Update: according to Nick Sabato of the Niagara-Gazette, Lewis had a compression sleeve on his right calf and did not participate during minicamp. This would strongly suggest a calf strain considering how the team has managed other injuries.
RB Ty Johnson (Undisclosed)
Johnson was seen working out on the exercise bike the first day but otherwise did not participate during minicamp. There is no tape, bracing, sleeves, or anything to suggest what the issue is which means this is a wait-and-see issue.
LB Shaq Thompson (Left Achilles)
After signing Tuesday just hours prior to minicamp, Thompson would not participate during minicamp as he recovered from his left Achilles tear from Week 4 last season.
He should be fully ready to go for training camp barring any rehab setbacks. To read more about his injury and expected performance heading into 2025, click below.
C Conner McGovern (Undisclosed)
Similar to others, little is known regarding McGovern other than he was on the exercise bike on Tuesday. He doesn’t have any identifiers suggesting injury and he was also observed walking around during practice but did not do much.
LB Baylon Spector (Undisclosed)
Spector continues to miss valuable reps through mandatory minicamp after suffering an injury as recently as May 20. He missed last week’s Phase 3 OTA session to the media and based on the video below, it looks as though he is working through a lower body issue. He’s really focusing on decelerating and note that he stops with the right knee and shakes out the left leg, suggesting the left leg is potentially the issue.
Spector must remain healthy this training camp in order to have a chance at making the roster. Otherwise, he could be a cut down casualty.
Minicamp Injuries
OL Alec Anderson (Lower leg)
Anderson came up during minicamp on the first day and was observed going off to the side to have a trainer place a wrap on his leg per Sal Cappacio in his podcast. It’s unknown if this was a new injury or exacerbation, but considering he returned, this doesn’t appear to be that serious. He was wearing a sleeve on the left leg last week but it’s unclear if this is the same side.
He did have a left calf injury late in the playoffs last year, but unknown if this is the same issue.
CB Maxwell Hairston (Left Hamstring)
Fear set over the fan base when it was reported that rookie Maxwell Hairston was speaking to training staff, favoring his left leg. He can be seen interacting with the training staff before he had extra testing performed. He did not leave the area after the injury but did not practice the final day.
On Thursday, it was reported that he tweaked his hamstring and would be held out as a precaution. Based on the area where the trainer and Hairston was motioning to, it appeared as though he strained the semimembranosus as noted below. This is the inside hamstring and assists with hip extension and knee flexion. This also helps with knee internal rotation and provides knee stability of the posteromedial corner.
He wore a sleeve on the leg on Thursday and didn’t participate but this is of no surprise considering the players will be off for the next six weeks. Fortunately, Hairston does not have a history of hamstring issues which helps with his management moving forward.
While we don’t know what he did to injure the leg, he has ample time to recover for training camp. I also don’t anticipate that he will have a recurrence once the season starts in late July.
WR Laviska Shenault (Undisclosed)
Shenault was able to participate during the first day of camp but was forced to sit on the sidelines for the second day. Based on the pictures from the Bills site, he appeared available to practice on Thursday.
He has had a long injury history which means any tweak at this point needs to be taken seriously. He is another one who needs to stay healthy in order to have a real shot at making the roster.
Returned to Practice
S Damar Hamlin (Right foot/ankle)
Hamlin was off to the side this week due to a right foot/ankle injury. He was able to participate in some install reps but otherwise rehabbing, increasing his workload every day before returning on Thursday. He was seen in a boot last week on the right leg but the fact that he increased his workload every day suggests this shouldn’t be a lengthy issue.
This could be as simple as a foot sprain the team wanted to ensure that it heals as we see more players typically wear a boot for the foot versus for an ankle.
S Cole Bishop (Undisclosed)
Bishop was a surprising addition to the injury list heading into minicamp after he was spotted on the bike to start Tuesday. He has been wearing his helmet the entire time suggesting that he may be trying to participate if the training staff allows him to, but he was off to the side participating in some rehab exercises.
Considering that he is doing side planks, this immediately has me believe that he is working through an oblique injury or even groin. This would be common for his positional demands and explains why he is held out. There is the possibility that he injured his abductor or has an IT band issue on the outside of the hip as a plank would also be indicated, but without more information, we are left speculating. Brandon Beane said that he tweaked something but that if this was during the regular season, he would have pushed through it.
Fortunately, he was able to participate on Thursday, getting valuable reps.
He doesn’t have any history of either injury from college or last season, but this is another instance of him losing valuable reps like he did when he injured his shoulder last August.
Other Injury Notes
DT Deone Walker (Back)
Walker has been slowly ramping up his activity level participating in up to five reps during team portions. I’m unaware how many reps are in a team session which determines the percentage that they ramp up his activity. Considering they’re adding one rep means they’re continuing to move slowly but with a purpose.
It’s great to see him out there participating and I don’t anticipate him starting on PUP, barring setbacks. To read more about his back issue, click here.
TE Dawson Knox (Left Knee)
Knox continues to require tape on the outside portion of his left knee. Based on the tape placement, this still suggests that he is working through either IT band irritation at the knee or he has patellar tendinitis.
Whatever the issue is, he has been practicing through the issue which means it is more of a maintenance issue.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid continues to wear a sleeve on his left knee due to the PCL sprain he suffered last year. I’m hoping that he is able to ditch the sleeve, but this may be a comfort thing at this point.
CB Taron Johnson (Left Shoulder)
Johnson has been wearing a red non-contact jersey the last two weeks as he recovers from his labrum repair in his left shoulder shortly after the season.
Based on what we saw this week, barring setbacks, he should be full go for training camp and not start on PUP.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Elbow)
Something that was brought to my attention by the Locked on Bills Discord channel, Dorian Williams was wearing a hinged brace on his left elbow this past week. He had also been wearing a sleeve on the elbow the week prior.
This was the same elbow that he injured in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions when he had his elbow sandwiched between two players. He continued to wear the brace throughout the remainder of the season. At the time, it was possible that he suffered a UCL sprain though he did not miss any time.
He either had a procedure on the elbow to clean out the joint or is wearing the brace as protection with the increase in activity.
OL Ryan Van Demark (Left hand/thumb)
An interesting observation during practice this week was the presence of a cast on Van Demark’s left hand. He did not have one there last Tuesday which indicates that he hurt it within the past week.
This suggests that he either suffered a metacarpal fracture or thumb fracture and had it casted to get through practice this week. If he had undergone surgery, he would have been held out as he recovered, especially a week removed from the injury. He should be fully healthy for training camp, but notable if he has a brace on the area during camp.
OL Sedrick Van Pran Granger (Right leg)
SVPG has worn a compression sleeve on his right leg the last two weeks and the week prior showed possible tape on his inner thigh. This would suggest a groin issue. This did not limit him during practice but worth noting if he is limited during training camp.
OL Travis Clayton (Left Forearm)
Clayton appears to have padding or a sleeve on his left forearm after not having any on the area the prior week. This may be something as simple as a contusion, but notable if he’s still wearing this during training camp. He missed all of last season as he recovered from shoulder surgery.
WR Keon Coleman (Right Wrist Chipped Bone)
We received an update on Coleman’s wrist injury from last season when he missed four games due to his wrist injury. Previous reports stated he broke his wrist but Nick Sabato of the Niagara-Gazette clarified that Coleman chipped a bone in his wrist.
This is fully healed now but this helps better understand timelines and what Coleman battled as he worked to return to the field.
DT DaQuan Jones (Personal)
Jones was excused during the final day for a personal reason.
Final Thoughts
While this list of players does seem long with several new injuries taking place during minicamp, this is still overall excellent. There are no players expected to land on PUP, there are no injuries that should linger into camp, and the Bills were acutely aware of every issue to be proactive rather than reactive.
The only variable that can’t be accounted for is whether guys suffer any new injuries during training. The other possibility is guys rehabbing such as Taron Johnson or Joey Bosa having some type of setback.
This analysis hopefully serves as a checkpoint in time in case something does crop up during camp or if a player begins to miss time. The training staff does an excellent job at keeping these guys healthy and ready for the season so they can perform at their best.
Here’s to hoping for a quiet summer before training camp ramps up in late July at St. John Fisher.
Top Photo Credit: Buffalo Bills
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