Another week of Bills training camp is completed! Fortunately, the list of injured players has shrunk considerably from last week allowing the Bills to stay healthy & participate in training camp. For last week’s recap, check out my article at Buffalo Rumblings.
New additions to the injury report:
WR Stefon Diggs (knee/back soreness)
Diggs gave everyone a scare when he went down briefly on Monday when he stayed down for a moment while trainers tended to his knee. Specifics were not given regarding how the injury occurred, but he did not stay down long and returned to practice quickly, not appearing to give it any further attention the rest of the week. This is likely nothing but still important to note.
The more concerning of the two injuries is the back soreness that caused him to miss Thursday’s scrimmage. He was observed on the sideline tossing a football with noticeable limitations. In the video below, he doesn’t exhibit any trunk rotation, he throws purely from his arm and he appears very stiff indicating the low back pain.
This may be true soreness, he may have strained muscles or a sprain, impossible to discern from the video alone. The training staff will be focusing on managing and eliminating the pain and keeping him moving to prevent this from becoming a chronic issue. Like the knee, I do not anticipate this becoming a long term issue, but simply to note.
RB Taiwan Jones (knee)
Jones went down in practice on Sunday after he stepped awkwardly followed by trainers tending to him before ending practice early. Like the Diggs injury, little is known regarding the mechanism of injury. He did not participate in practice the rest of the week and was observed in street clothes during the scrimmage.
My speculation is that he suffered a knee sprain, possibly his MCL. These are quite common during training camp and can hold him out for 1-3 weeks. Until he returns to practice, hard to establish an accurate timeline without more information.
RB Christian Wade (quadriceps)
Wade has missed the last week of practice with a quadriceps injury that appears to be a strain. He could be dealing with a contusion which can be very painful, but not even practicing in a limited fashion indicates more of a strain.
While this could tank most players’ roster hopes, Wade still has his practice squad roster exemption that the Bills will likely use again this season. He simply is not ready to yet contribute to an NFL roster yet which means this injury is a minor issue.
LB Corey Thompson (knee soreness)
Like all the other injuries, we can only go off of what is reported by the team on Tuesday. Knee soreness is a vague term that limits any timelines to be established. He doesn’t have any previous known knee injuries which reduces the possibility that this is a chronic issue.
Injury updates:
WR Robert Foster (concussion)
Foster exited the concussion protocol on Wednesday. He was able to participate in Thursday’s scrimmage but due to media restrictions on reporting, his performance was not known. Foster has a week to show the Bills why he needs to stick around on the roster, but his chances appear to be dwindling.
G Jon Feliciano (pectoral tear)
Feliciano is still out with his pectoral injury & is not expected to be ready for some time. But it’s important to highlight that he was observed out of his sling by Spectrum News’ Jon Scott.
This indicates that he is on schedule with the rehab protocol but does not indicate that he will be back as soon as Week 4. I still maintain that he will be back around mid-season which will allow him to be fully ready rather than limited.
CB Josh Norman (left hamstring)
Despite his aging vet status, Norman still commands a lot of attention for the fan base. He has been out over a week with a left hamstring strain suffered while returning an interception & tackle.
DC Leslie Frazier is hopeful that Norman will be back in time for Week 1 and he still appears on track for that. Barring any setbacks or change in severity, I anticipate that he will play but CB Levi Wallace is available to start if Norman isn’t 100%.
No changes:
FB Patrick DiMarco (neck), TE Tommy Sweeney (foot) are still not practicing & are uncertain to return anytime soon.
LB Vosean Joseph (undisclosed) was dealing with an injury last week which DC Leslie Frazier acknowledged but details were not given.
DT Ed Oliver, LB AJ Klein, & LB Tremaine Edmunds returned to practice & hopefully will not have any recurrence of the injuries sustained last week.
Housekeeping:
CB Ike Brown retired and posted his statement regarding his reasoning below.
In his place, the Bills signed CB Brian Allen after spending time with the Steelers & Seahawks. His injury history is limited but detailed below.
The Bills also settled their special teams competition with the release of K Stephen Hauschka & P Lachlan Edwards.
The Bills continue to stay in excellent shape regarding injuries & should have nearly everyone available for Week 1 besides Feliciano and Sweeney.
Image Credit: BuffaloNews.com
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