The Buffalo Bills kicked off the 2025 season this week when veterans reported Tuesday and the first practice on Wednesday. Even before the first cleats touched the grass, the Bills were dealing with several injuries with several transactions to account for the expected absences.
Read more about all the injuries coming out of the first week of Bills training camp.
New Injuries
LB Dorian Williams (Right Calf)
Williams left practice early on Thursday after coming up limping during a drill where he was trailing TE Jackson Hawes according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News.
After practice, both Josh Reed of WIVB Channel 4 and Sal Cappacio of WGR 550 both noted that Williams had a wrap on his right calf walking up the stairs with a noticeable limp.
On Friday, he was seen in a walking boot off to the side not participating in any rehab work.
He doesn’t have a long history of soft tissue injuries; the only notable soft tissue in college or the NFL was a left calf injury during the 2023 preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers that only saw him miss a week of practice. Further information will be required regarding how long he will be out but right now, he will likely miss at least a week of practice and potentially more.
He was also spotted wearing a hinged brace on both his left elbow and left knee Wednesday. These are the same joints he injured midway during the 2024 season. Fortunately, he ditched the knee brace Thursday.
DE AJ Epenesa (Right Ankle)
Epenesa left practice early according to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN on Thursday with no additional information. Later, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported that he had his right foot/ankle being examined by training staff.
On Friday, he was spotted with his right ankle taped up on the sidelines not participating in any rehab work.
RB Ray Davis (Left Leg)
According to Nick Sabato of The Niagara Gazette, Davis briefly left Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed issue to be checked out by training staff. It was described as a lower body injury but he quickly returned to practice. In training camp pictures, he is seen wearing a sleeve on his left leg.
Earlier in the month, he was seen wearing a sleeve on his right leg during his youth football camp.
DT DeWayne Carter (Right Leg)
Carter also left practice with a lower body injury during Thursday’s practice but was able to return quickly after a brief assessment. He was seen wearing a sleeve on his right leg but specifics are not known.
DT Zion Logue (Undisclosed)
Logue missed Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed issue.
On Friday, he returned without any further information.
WR David White Jr (Personal)
White missed Friday’s practice due to a personal issue.
Non-Football Injury
TE Dawson Knox (Right Hamstring)
Knox was placed on the NFI list due to a hamstring injury sustained training on his own the week prior. The NFI list is notable as this indicates the injury did not occur at the facility but the rules are similar in that Knox can come off the list at any time.
He was spotted walking into the dorms with a sleeve on the right leg signifying which side is injured. Knox does have a history of hamstring injuries including 2019 when he missed most of training camp, Week 10 of the 2020 season, missing 0 games. He also suffered another hamstring strain in 2022 in Week 4 that forced him out of Week 5 but he has avoided any recurrence since then.
Knox is an oft-injured player and this is just another injury in his long history. Most mild hamstring strains take one to two weeks for a player to recover in-season according to Bills historical trends. They will not rush Knox back which means we may not see him suit until the calendar turns to August. However, when he does return, I don’t expect this injury to linger.
He was also seen going through some rehab on the side but it was not an extensive workout.
WR Laviska Shenault (Right Lower Leg Strain)
After not initially practicing on Wednesday due to a lower leg strain, the Bills reclassified Shenault on the Non Football Injury list. While this is a smart move in case the injury lingers, this is not a great look for Shenault who has been frequently injured throughout his career.
The wording of his injury is important as a strain is an injury to the muscle. Lower leg also implies that this is not a calf muscle injury as that is typically clearly defined. He could have injured one of his peroneal muscles which is on the outside of the leg or one of the deeper muscles of the calf/leg region. Unfortunately, there is not a timeline available as to the specifics of the injury or even side for that matter. In addition, a fellow fan sent me pictures of Shenault working out off to the side during Wednesday’s practice with a sleeve on his right leg. This also suggests he may be closer to returning but it is too soon to tell.
On Friday, he was briefly seen working off to the side as Josh Allen threw the football. He appears closer to return than others which is promising for his chances to make the team.
However, this is a wait and see approach to see how much time he misses.
Physically Unable to Perform
OT Spencer Brown (Back)
Probably the biggest injury news on Tuesday was the announcement that Spencer Brown was placed on PUP due to a back issue. Few details are available other than it was described as a flare up and the team is trying to get it under control.
Brown underwent a microdisectomy in the summer of 2022 after suffering a herniated disc midway through the 2021 season. However, he has not appeared on the injury report with a back designation since then. He was limited during the 2022 preseason but did not have any known back issues dating back to college.
Is this injury notable? Yes. Is it worrisome? Not quite. There is a chance that his disc that required surgery reherniated which is a 15 percent chance. Could it be a muscle strain or facet irritation or a different disc level altogether? Absolutely. There needs to be more information as to exactly what is going on which would provide a timeline and expectations for the season. This could be nothing, it could be something. Last time was an isolated incident that likely required conservative care before the medical team realized he needed surgery. Fortunately, he’s been clear since then. I’m not reading too much into this until we get more information.
The Bills are smart to let this calm down before making him practice and play through this.
OL Sedrick Van-Pran Granger (Calf)
Van Pran-Granger was placed on PUP due to a calf strain though it isn’t clear when he suffered the injury. He was seen wearing a sleeve on his right leg during OTAs and minicamp, but it’s not evident if this was the same issue or even leg.
On Friday, a fan noted that they saw what they believed to be a defensive lineman on a scooter and in a boot. Based on the players currently out and body part designated, this appears to be SVPG. There is a possibility this is Dorian Williams, but the body composition drastically differs. The presence of a scooter and boot strongly suggests a higher grade calf strain and one that occurred more recently.
Calf strains miss on average 17.4 days according to research available and the Bills would be smart to not rush him back. As we don’t know when the injury was, it’s hard to place a timeline on this. Given that he is on the scooter isn’t looking good for a quick return.
The Bills are historically good at preventing recurrence of these soft tissue injuries, but they are not perfect either.
Removed from PUP
DE Landon Jackson (Undisclosed)
Jackson was originally placed on PUP when rookies reported on July 15 but he was quickly removed on July 22.
According to unofficial sources, he was dealing with a neck injury related to a procedure or surgery following his neck injury in college. This was aggravated during the Sack Summit at the end of June.
Thankfully, Jackson stated that he was fully healthy during Mafia Con the Saturday before veterans reported. This will be something to note if he has any further instances.
Other Observations
CB Maxwell Hairston (Left Hamstring)
Hairston passed his physical and was ready for training camp after he exited minicamp with a left hamstring strain. He did not appear limited during his opening practice other than wearing a sleeve on the left leg.
Brandon Beane stated that Hairston stayed back in Orchard Park and rehabbed the entire time. Considering the timeframe from time of injury to now, there are minimal concerns for re-injury.
DE Joey Bosa (Calf)
After missing Phase 3 OTAs and minicamp, Bosa entered training camp fully healthy. The team has said that they have a “rep plan” for him and will ensure that they don’t run him into the ground given his injury history.
CB Cam Lewis (Right Calf)
Lewis was still wearing a sleeve on his right leg entering camp this week after suffering a right calf injury during mandatory minicamp. He has not missed anytime and continues to have a strong presence in the secondary.
WR Curtis Samuel (Left Leg)
Samuel was recently interviewed by Nick Sabato of the Niagara Gazette where he revealed that he has been improving his approach to injury management including how he’s been eating breakfast more, something he has skipped previously. This may have contributed to him working on an empty stomach and not getting the nutrients needed for full practice.
However, he also stated that he is still not 100 percent but did not divulge the exact issue. On Friday, we saw him out running routes with what looked to be a sleeve on his left leg. This suggests this is more of a groin/hip issue though he has not been limited in practice.
If he begins to miss time or requires attention, this could be a potential reason.
Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN did note that Samuel did not practice for a portion of practice, specifically team drills, speaking with athletic trainers.
LB Shaq Thompson (Left Achilles)
Thompson saw his first action as a Buffalo Bill this week after missing minicamp due to his recovery from his left Achilles tear last season. He is wearing a sleeve on the left leg but has not been reported as limited.
OL Alec Anderson (Left Leg)
Anderson was sporting a sleeve on his left leg during Friday’s practice but was otherwise not limited. He wore the same sleeve during OTAs and this was also the same leg that he tweaked his calf during the playoffs.
LS Reid Ferguson (Right Elbow)
Ferguson was on the injury report due to a right elbow injury last season but didn’t miss any practice. This may be general soreness but Ferguson is not one to frequently be on the injury report.
TE Jackson Hawes (Left Calf)
Hawes can be seen in the background wearing a compression sleeve on his left calf. He doesn’t have any known issues but notable if he begins to miss time.
OT Travis Clayton (Right Shoulder)
Clayton is still wearing a shoulder harness after missing all of last season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. This was either a rotator cuff tear or labrum with my suspicions leaning towards rotator cuff.
New Signings
For detailed injury analysis, click below.
WR David White Jr
TE Matt Sokol
Final Thoughts
The Bills have typically been conservative early on with injuries and this week was no exception. Reps are important but it’s not worth letting an injury linger for several weeks and have players miss valuable time.
Make sure to check back often for the latest injury updates and follow on X @BangedUpBills to get instant reactions.
Top Photo Credit: Buffalo Rumblings
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