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Bills HC Sean McDermott provides concerning injury report ahead of preseason finale

The Buffalo Bills have a crowded injury report as they prepare for their preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.

Kyle Silagyi

Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
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The injury bug has seemingly attacked the Buffalo Bills with particular fervor, as the team has a lengthy injury report as it prepares for its preseason finale this weekend against the Carolina Panthers. 

Head coach Sean McDermott provided an injury update during his Monday media availability, telling reporters that backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and tight end Quintin Morris are set to miss “multiple weeks” with knee, neck, and shoulder injuries, respectively. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel, linebacker Baylon Spector, and safety Damar Hamlin are week-to-week while defensive end Javon Solomon and defensive tackle Austin Johnson will be limited throughout this week of practice. Wide receiver Lawrence Keys and defensive end Casey Toohill are improving while linebacker Nick Morrow and safeties Mike Edwards and Cole Bishop will return to walkthrough—and hopefully individual—drills this week. Rookie offensive tackle Travis Clayton remains out.

McDermott expressed concern about the laundry list of ailments.

“It’s a real concern,” McDermott said. “If I could change it, I would, but we can’t, so we won’t. Right now, we’ve got to be solution-oriented. As coaches, we’re going to try to get, like I said, those guys that we can that can do the walkthrough, they’re going to do the walkthrough today and get some of those reps. That’s all we can do right now with some of those guys, and so, it’s better than nothing, which is where some of them were. There is some progress in some areas. The hard part is, we’re starting to get some movement and some progress from a couple, but we also lost a couple in the game the other night, too. That’s football.”

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Trubisky, Valdes-Scantling, Morris, Johnson, and Solomon left Buffalo’s recent preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers after receiving their respective ailments; McDermott told reporters that the team may be forced to bring in another quarterback in the wake of Trubisky’s injury. Valdes-Scantling underwent x-rays following the game that came back negative, but he’s still set to miss some time.

The Samuel, Hamlin, and Toohill injuries date back to last week. Samuel and Hamlin missed practices last week with turf toe and a hamstring injury, respectively, with both of their ailments being of particular concern given their presumptive roles—Samuel figures to play a significant part in Buffalo’s revamped receiving corps while Hamlin is in line to start for the team at safety given Mike Edwards and Cole Bishop’s respective injuries. Those two defensive backs returning to practice in some capacity this week, however, is encouraging.

The Bills will hold their starters out of this weekend’s preseason game in an attempt to prevent any further ailments. The organization will cross its fingers that its already-crowded injury report clears up a bit before Buffalo’s 2024 regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 8.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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