Bills DE Shane Ray Out for Season, Comeback Takes Emotional Halt

For Buffalo Bills defensive end Shane Ray, a season-ending injury just doesn't seem fair.

The regular season hasn't even started for the Buffalo Bills, and they still can't catch a break in the injury department.

The Bills placed veteran defensive end Shane Ray on season-ending injured reserve Monday due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Saturday's 27-15 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. The sudden injury halts his NFL comeback attempt before it really began. 

Ray, 30, is a former first-round pick, but signed a one-year, $1.08 million deal with the Bills in May after not appearing in a game since 2018. A Super Bowl 50 champion with current Bills linebacker Von Miller, he was looking to be a part of another championship run with his former Denver Broncos teammate.

Instead, Ray will have to watch the season from afar. 

Bills coach Sean McDermott said Sunday that Ray was "day-to-day" with the hamstring injury, but it appears the severity was much worse. Ray seemed to know how bad it was, as he reportedly got emotional after the loss to Pittsburgh.

"Ray was emotional in the locker room after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason game vs. the Steelers," ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg tweeted. "He was comforted by multiple teammates."

Upon his arrival to Buffalo, Ray's words of motivation were powerful.

“So many tears, sleepless nights, depression, everything that comes with losing the game," Ray wrote on his Instagram after signing with the Bills. "So many days of having nothing but hope while fighting a uphill battle. There where times that I thought maybe I should give up, but I wouldn’t be me if I folded. Even in my darkest moments I believed in myself. I believed in my preparation. I believed that I would have another opportunity even if the world didn’t believe.”

But now, his career with the Bills - and in the NFL - remains uncertain.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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