The Buffalo Bills wrapped up training camp this week as they prepared for their final preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Injuries have been a main theme for these Bills as 61 different players and counting have required some sort of athletic trainer intervention. This is a significant uptick from previous seasons but the team has been able to avoid major injury or injuries to many of their starters so far.
Read more about the injuries from this past week and potential implications on Saturday’s game, cut down day on Tuesday, and potentially Week 1.
New Injuries
LB Keonta Jenkins (Left Ankle)
Jenkins was sidelined on August 19 after suffering a left ankle injury early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. Reviewing the film, it appears he suffered a high-ankle sprain when #20 of the Chicago Bears fell into his ankle.
He was off to the side performing rehab and working on the exercise bike Tuesday with a walking boot on. It’s known how long high-ankle sprains can linger and based on roster cut downs, Jenkins could be released and re-signed to the practice squad or released with an injury settlement.
DE Nelson Ceasar (Shoulder)
Ceasar was limited during Tuesday’s practice with a shoulder injury. There didn’t appear to be any instance when he was injured in the game but the team did have a practice not open to the media Monday which suggests he could have injured the shoulder then. He was able to return to practice in full on Wednesday.
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio (Toe)
Ulofoshio was limited in practice Tuesday with a toe designation. He played in 46 total snaps on Sunday which makes finding a toe injury on film very difficult. He was able to return to practice on Wednesday. However, his performance this training camp has left a lot to be desired and he may be on the outside looking in come cut down day.
DE Javon Solomon (Right Wrist)
Solomon was limited in practice on Tuesday with a right wrist injury as evident by the tape job below. He played in 46 snaps on Sunday and it’s not clear if he injured the wrist then. He returned in full on Wednesday and this will be something to watch moving forward.
QB Mike White (Right Hand)
White dinged his right hand up after hitting something on Tuesday, requiring a brief assessment from the athletic trainers. He had his hand wrapped and did not finish practice that day.
However, this appeared to be minor as he was able to practice in full without tape or restrictions on Wednesday as seen below.
OL Travis Clayton (Concussion)
Clayton missed practice on Wednesday after suffering a concussion on Tuesday. This is his first publicly reported concussion and he will need to pass through the protocol before he is cleared to practice. The team could place him on IR again or they can waive him and then sign him to the practice squad via the international pathway program if no one selects him.
RB Jarveon Howard (Undisclosed)
Immediately after getting signed to the 90 man roster, Howard suffered an undisclosed injury early in practice and did not return. On Wednesday, he was waived/injured and on Thursday, reverted to injured reserve. He could stay on IR all season or receive an injury settlement.
WR Grant Dubose (Right Shoulder)
Immediately after getting onto the practice field, Dubose injured his right shoulder after falling to the ground on a one-on-one rep. He was carted off and later reported to have surgery for his collarbone, likely a fracture.
I could see a scenario where he moves to IR and gets an injury settlement unless the Bills feel strongly he can contribute this year and put him on IR to return designation next Tuesday. This would be a six-to-eight week timeframe for Dubose but the Bills may elect to just provide an injury settlement instead.
WR Stephen Gosnell (Calf)
Gosnell missed practice on August 21 with a calf injury likely suffered August 20. I don’t expect him to play Saturday either. He has had a strong preseason and will likely be cut but revert back to the practice squad.
CB Christian Benford (Undisclosed)
Benford left practice early on August 21 and later reported that he needed “some rest”. I personally don’t buy that for a moment that this wasn’t some sort of injury, but it doesn’t appear to be serious but I don’t expect him to play Saturday like many other starters.
CB Tre’Davious White (Lower Body)
The biggest injury on August 21 was when White went down with what has been called a lower body injury.
He was able to walk with assistance to the sidelines and then later up the tunnel before getting on a cart to go to the field house for further evaluation. Getting carted off and getting a ride in a cart are two different things as Joe Buscaglia notes below.
This could be a toe, foot, ankle, calf, hamstring, knee, quad, or even groin. We don’t know how he went down or even which side for that matter. Having the ability to watch him walk or favor a certain area would have been helpful as well.
The one upside is that Sal Capaccio noted that head athletic trainer Nate Breske was not with him indicating that this may not have been a serious injury. Sal Capaccio talks about this further on WGR550 clip here.
This may turn out to be more positive than we originally thought, this portion will be updated once more news comes out.
S Wande Owens (Undisclosed)
Owens left practice early and did not return due to an undisclosed issue on August 21.
Injury Updates
CB Maxwell Hairston (Right Knee LCL Sprain)
Hairston returned to the sidelines on Tuesday, working out on an exercise bike with a hinged knee brace as he began to ramp up his rehab. There has been much discussion as to whether Hairston would start the year on injured reserve or if he could be ready to go and avoid IR altogether.
Based on his return to rehab outside, the team will have to see how his knee responds and whether they can push him or need to take it slowly. I initially didn’t think Hairston would go on injured reserve due to getting the practice reps in, but if his rehab is going slower due to soreness or it is not responding, then the team has the ability to buy him more time to rehab by putting him on injured reserve. This will be a more difficult and close decision behind closed doors than we will know publicly.
Predicting rehab timelines is an art more than a science as we have seen with previous rehabs such as Tre’Davious White and Von Miller. Keep in mind, if he avoids IR, this allows him to practice with the team and saves an IR spot. He could be inactive during this time but if he goes to IR, we don’t see him until Week 8 at the earliest with the four game minimum, ramp up period, and bye week.
One final thought, the team has mentioned how they handled Cole Bishop’s return to play last season following his shoulder injury. Understanding the knowledge gap that Hairston is dealing with may have them change course on what they do as compared to what they did with Bishop when he was inactive in Week 1 and ramped up his workload over the next month until he saw 100 percent of snaps in Week 5.
C Connor McGovern (Right Hamstring)
McGovern suffered a right hamstring strain during the August 15 joint practice with the Chicago Bears. He noted that his absence was precautionary and that he would have been able to play through it if it was the regular season.
Considering injuries to both Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Kendrick Green, they’re smart to keep him out to make sure the injury doesn’t linger. They can use the other camp bodies available to get through Saturday before cut down day.
C Kendrick Green (Right Elbow/Upper Arm)
Green has been battling a right elbow injury since suffering the injury back on August 15 and getting it wrapped up to return to practice. He appeared to aggravate it again during Sunday’s game when he was seen shaking out his right side after a play and then once again during practice on August 19.
He has worn a wrap or sleeve on the area initially before he was spotted wearing tape over the biceps area of his arm. Based on the tape, this could be a biceps strain which would not only affect bending his elbow but hand fighting and gripping inside when turning the wrist. He is electing to work through the issue as he fights for a roster spot, but that may be more hurt than injured.
WR Khalil Shakir (Right High-Ankle Sprain)
Shakir has had an uneventful but productive rehab ever since suffering a high-ankle sprain on August 1. Reports from the team are that he has not had any setbacks and he should be ready for Week 1.
His ankle will be fairly close to healthy but there may still be some residual soreness in the area that he will have to work through. This likely won’t limit him significantly, but it won’t shock me if he appears on the injury report as he requires some maintenance.
OL Tylan Grable (Concussion)
Grable has been in concussion protocol since leaving practice on August 6 due to a head injury. On August 19, he returned to the field in a red non-contact jersey as he worked his way through the protocol.
LB Shaq Thompson (Right Hamstring)
Thompson returned to full practice this week after missing two weeks due to a right hamstring strain. He missed similar time last season and appears to be a roster lock based on how camp has looked for him so far and the injuries at the position.
The training staff has been solid in limiting the recurrence of soft tissue injuries and not rushing them back out there. There have been quite a few this year, but we are not seeing guys bounce back and forth between the field and sidelines.
WR Curtis Samuel (Left Hamstring)
Samuel returned to 11-on-11 practice Tuesday and looks well. He is moving fast and without any hesitation. This comes after he missed nearly three weeks of practice after suffering a hamstring strain that kept him out since July 27.
The hope is that Samuel can return healthy but I am pessimistic about his production this season as I fear another injury will sideline him or limit his production.
K Tyler Bass (Pelvic Soreness)
Bass looks to return to full go on Tuesday when he resumes kicking in practice. His availability was further confirmed Wednesday when the team released K Caden Davis.
Considering the timeline that he had been out since July 28 and not able to kick, I had thought he was dealing with osteitis pubis, an inflammatory condition of the pubis symphysis. This is what I have said previously which matches up with the timeline looking back.
“This is a condition where there is inflammation between your left and right pubic bones, which is known as the pubic symphysis, from overuse, causing microtrauma.
This is common in individuals using their hips, pelvis, and groin, which would be exactly what Bass has been doing. This is seen often in pregnancy but also in soccer, hockey, basketball, etc. Given his positional demands, kicking is a high stressor to this area. If this is what Bass is dealing with, he would be experiencing groin or lower abdominal pain or aching throb, pain in the inner thigh, tightness within the pelvis, swelling, or genital pain.
Most cases respond conservatively with therapy and modalities, along with the possibility of injections. In a study in elite athletes, they had 42 cases dealing with this condition and found 71.4 percent of cases had Stage I Osteitis Pubis; there are four stages with Stage I dealing with unilateral pain while Stage 2-4 have bilateral symptoms. Of those in the study with Stage I, most returned within three weeks.”
I do have some concerns about this lingering later in the season, but the team was smart to shut him down and get ahead of it before the season.
CB Jordan Hancock (Right Shoulder)
Hancock left Sunday’s game with a right shoulder injury as noted below. This appears to be more of an aggravation of the injury as he had tape on the area prior to the game.
He was off to the side rehabbing this week and the team was not anticipating that he would play this weekend. Knowing his spot on the roster is pretty secure, the team is electing to allow him to rehab and rest the shoulder rather than play in a meaningless game. This looked as though this may have been an AC joint sprain that should slowly heal, barring aggravation.
OL Alec Anderson (Left Knee)
Anderson returned to full practice on Tuesday after undergoing a knee scope back on July 30. He continues to wear a sleeve on the left leg but otherwise should be 100 percent come Week 1.
CB Cam Lewis (Calf)
Lewis originally missed practice on August 13 with a calf designation and missed the joint practice with the Chicago Bears. He also did not play in Sunday’s game and was limited on Tuesday before returning in full on Wednesday. Based on the timeline, this may have been precautionary and to prevent further issues after he battled his right calf injury during OTAs and the early portion of camp.
He was wearing a sleeve on his left leg on Wednesday which may suggest his left calf is the issue, but not confirmed.
PUP
OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (Right Calf)
SVPG was initially thought to be able to go by the Tampa Bay preseason game but he simply is not ready and is a candidate for Reserve/PUP.
He has been trending this way all preseason once mid-August hit and once he goes to Reserve/PUP, he will be required to miss four games before he can be activated to begin practicing. Once he practices, he has three weeks to ramp up or he has to revert back to PUP and be done for the season.
We won’t see SVPG until at least Week 5 but very likely closer to Week 8.
New Signings
WR Grant Dubose
RB Jarveon Howard
CB Zy Alexander
RB Elijah Young
OL Rush Reimer
Waived/Injured
WR Kaden Prather (Left Hamstring)- Reverted to IR.
WR Te’Cory Couch (Hamstring)
WR Darrynton Evans (Hamstring)
RB Jarveon Howard (Undisclosed)
WR Grant Dubose (Right Shoulder)
Final Thoughts
The Bills continue to battle injuries with the most significant ones so far being Shakir, SVPG, Hairston, and potentially White. No season-ending injuries have occurred which is an ideal outcome, but the volume of injuries remains high at this time.
Hard decisions will have to be made by Tuesday with several injury settlements offered, players going to IR, and others looking to find a new home. Saturday’s game will likely see several more injuries which will add to the decisions for Tuesday, but the team appears to be getting healthier as they enter the regular season.
Top Photo Credit: Jeff Lewis/AP
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