Training camp roster cut downs have been completed and practice squads have been set. We have entered the regular season which means we will begin to get more information on each and every injury. I still don’t believe that we will get as many details as we once did but that’s the beauty of injury analysis. There’s clues that are provided but putting those clues together isn’t always easy unless more information is provided.
Right now, the main focus is getting any injured players fully healthy for Week 1 and setting up the game plan. Read below for the latest updates on all the injuries coming out of the roster cut down as we look towards Week 1.
New Injuries
DB Jordan Hancock (Undisclosed)
Hancock was the only new addition to the injuries this week as he was not available during the open portions of practice on September 1st or 2nd. He played in 29 snaps on defense during the Thursday preseason game and saw 8 more special teams snaps.
OT Jedrick Wills (Back)
Wills missed practice this week after he was signed as he works through a minor back injury from when he was with the Bears. He did receive an injury settlement but the Bills still were comfortable enough to sign him despite the injury and will help him rehab on the practice squad.
He does have a history of a disc bulge at L5-S1 which may be contributing to this current injury. To read more about his injury history, click below.
Injury Updates
LB Joe Andreessen (Left Elbow)
Andreessen returned to practice on September 1 with a left elbow brace after missing practice on August 25. He had been wearing a right leg sleeve since mid-May during OTAs due to a quad strain but the elbow brace is something we’ve seen before.
He began wearing an elbow brace around this time last year and wore it for most of the season. My initial thought is that he sprained his elbow, specifically his UCL or potentially a hyperextended elbow. It’s possible that he injured the elbow on August 24 which helps establish a timeline.
LB Terrel Bernard (Undisclosed)
Bernard was able to return to practice this week on September 1 after missing practice on August 24 and 25. According to Brandon Beane, Bernard is dealing with a minor injury and that “we’ll see” when discussing his Week 1 availability.
OL Jude Bowry (Left Leg)
Bowry left the Browns preseason game with a lower left leg injury and then was spotted in a boot at the next practice, indicating the side and narrowing down the possibilities. He was out of the boot on Thursday during the Steelers preseason game but he was still considered a possible IR designation considering his uneven play during the preseason.
He missed practice on September 1st and 2nd but remains out of the boot. His availability is very much in question until we get an injury report next week.
DT Ed Oliver (Undisclosed)
Oliver returned to practice on September 1st after missing practice dating back to August 18th. We never found out what his issue was but he appeared to be moving fairly well which means this injury and missing practice appeared to be more precautionary.
S CJ Gardner-Johnson (Right Leg)
CJGJ returned to practice on September 1 after leaving practice back on August 10 after diving in the end zone to break up a pass. He had been wearing a full sleeve on his leg which was different from the lower calf sleeve after his calf strain on August 1.
Brandon Beane confirmed that this was a different injury from his calf strain which further confirmed the full sleeve and different injury I had noted recently. Looking at his film in practice, he appeared to be moving well and while the team is non-committal about his availability for Week 1, he appeared to be on track.
WR Khalil Shakir (Right Leg)
Shakir continues to miss practice dating back to August 18 as he deals with a right leg injury. He unfortunately missed practice this past week on September 1st and 2nd but looking at the videos of him working off to the side with Ty Johnson, it’s possible he is dealing with a hamstring strain. Johnson has what appeared to be a hamstring and they were doing the same rehab work.
Despite the uncertainty, there are reports that the team is cautious but anticipating he is ready Week 1.
WR Keon Coleman (Right Foot/Toe)
Coleman began returning to running on August 25 and was spotted out of the walking boot on August 27 as he continued to ramp up from his foot/toe injury on August 15.
He continues to look excellent working out and catching passes. His timeline to return was right in line with what the injury data over at my Spartera Marketplace told us. This will be an injury to continue monitoring but he appears to be on the mend.
C Connor McGovern (Right Hamstring)
McGovern returned to practice on September 1 after sitting out since suffering his right hamstring injury on August 8. He stated that he was able to take about half of his reps in practice but remains confident in his abilities to play Week 1.
RB Ty Johnson (Right Hamstring)
Johnson has been out since suffering what looked to be a right hamstring strain during a one-on-one rep against Joe Andreessen during the stadium scrimmage on August 8. We barely saw him in practice until he showed up with a full sleeve on his right leg during the joint practice with the Cleveland Browns.
He was then able to walk around during the final preseason game against the Steelers a week later without a sleeve. Head coach Joe Brady had noted that Johnson went from not being able to walk to running.
We saw him begin to ramp up with Khalil Shakir this week but has not yet returned to practice. Hopefully we see him get back to practice next week.
DE Javon Solomon (Right Leg)
Solomon continues to miss practice dating back to August 24 after being observed wearing a right leg sleeve last week. The possibility is that this is a soft tissue injury that the team is cautious about.
S Jalon Kilgore (Left Leg)
Kilgore went back to the sidelines as he worked through an injury, this time to his left leg after missing the preseason game against the Cleveland Browns and missing practice beginning on August 18. He was able to return to practice on August 24 and played in the final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He missed practice on September 1st and 2nd but was working through his rehab indicating that this may be a minor issue. I am concerned that now his other leg is affected, but considering he is a rookie, the team should not be rushing him through things.
Injured Reserve
DT Zane Durant (Left Shoulder)
Durant was placed on injured reserve after suffering a left shoulder injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter.
Initially, I had thought that he suffered a stinger and it was confirmed as much during practice this last week. Additionally, it was revealed that this was also a neck issue which is why he was placed on injured reserve to start the year.
Whether this is a disc, facet, or brachial plexus issue, all of these would cause nerve pain down the arm that gives that stinger response. The hope is that things calm down and he can restore motion and full function necessary to return to play. I’m sure his injury helped with roster decisions, but this is still a real injury at the end of the day.
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Undisclosed)
He was released on September 4 with an injury settlement after leaving practice with an undisclosed injury on August 4.
PUP
WR Tyrell Shavers (Left ACL)
Shavers will begin the season on the Reserve/PUP list after tearing his left ACL against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. We have seen him present at practice and around the team but it will be some time before he is activated to the roster. His surgery was on January 20 which means he recently passed the seven month mark on August 20. Re-tear rates drop if a player returns after the nine month mark which means the earliest we see him is late October. But that’s with a pristine rehab and a dire need to activate him.
Once he hits the nine month mark, we will see him performing more training rather than rehab as he gets back into football activities. The rehab and training are blended at this point in the rehab process, but he will possibly be cleared for football activities in October.
A more realistic timeline has Shavers returning sometime in November or December based on how he is performing and when there is a need for his services. He’s an excellent story of perseverance especially playing through the second half of a playoff game on a torn ACL. Continue to watch for updates as the second half of the season gets closer.
One clarification that I wanted to make was that Shavers won’t count against the eight return to play designations when he does return.
Reserve/Suspended
DT Phidarian Mathis
Mathis will be suspended for the first three games of the season following an alcohol related incident while he was with the New York Jets in the spring of 2025.
Final Thoughts
The Bills are off for several more days before practice for Week 1 officially kicks off after Labor Day. Many of these undisclosed injuries will either not show up or if they do, we will get clarity on what some of these players have been working through recently.
We will continue to have lots of more information and content coming your way as the season ramps up.
Top Photo Credit: Tina MacIntyre-Yee
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