ORCHARD PARK – Coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that both of the Buffalo Bills’ starting offensive tackles, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, are not going to practice and their availability Sunday could be in question.
Against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that features a pair of outstanding edge rushers in TJ Watt and Nate Herbig, this is potentially uncomfortable news for quarterback Josh Allen who just suffered an eight-sack debacle last Thursday in Houston.
Brown could not finish the Houston game after suffering a shoulder injury, and it seems pretty unlikely that he won’t be able to play. Dawkins’ situation is a little more murky.
He was evaluated for a concussion early in Houston but then was cleared to return and he finished the game. But the next day, Dawkins was suffering from symptoms and those are apparently still present so he is officially in the concussion protocol.
“Yeah, the next day is when I first heard of it,” McDermott said. “So he was cleared during the game, and then I got wind of it the next day.”
As a trusted veteran, McDermott was asked if he would be comfortable playing Dawkins if he clears protocol in time for the game but does not practice all week, which is certainly possible.
“Yes, I would,” he said. “He has to clear the concussion protocol. I understand what you’re asking. There’s two pieces, there’s this hurdle with the concussion protocol and then what comes after that. This piece is obviously the primary situation that’s going on so we have to get through that first.”
Buffalo Bills options at tackle
If the Bills were to not have their tackles, they would be forced to start Ryan Van Demark and maybe rookie Chase Lundt. Another tackle, Tylan Grable, has been on the injured reserve list all season due to a concussion, but his 21-day practice window was opened this week so it’s possible that he could be added to the roster.
Obviously, playing Van Demark, Lundt or Grable, let alone two of them, is not ideal for the Bills.
Regarding Grable – who as a rookie in 2024 saw playing time in mop-up situations and then for most of the Week 18 game at New England when many starters sat out – playing in the game if needed, McDermott said, “He’s a young player that we have a lot of confidence in. He hasn’t played in a while – he went out, I believe, in preseason there, if not before. So we get that, we understand that. We’ll just take it one day at a time, and he’ll work back in and we’ll go from there.”
Other Buffalo Bills players on updated injury report include Dalton Kincaid
McDermott also said tight end Dalton Kincaid, wide receiver Curtis Samuel and linebacker Terrel Bernard were not practicing Wednesday.
Bernard is probably going to be out several weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow against the Texans. Kincaid has missed two games with a hamstring injury, and Samuel has been in and out of the lineup, either as a healthy scratch, or last week due to elbow and neck injuries.
Specifically on Kincaid, McDermott said, “We’ll see. There’s a chance.”
Two players who are limited Wednesday are cornerback Maxwell Hairston who left the Houston game with a concussion, and defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis who has missed the last couple weeks.
Brandin Cooks may play vs Steelers
McDermott was asked about the addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks and he said, “Good addition,” he said. “Gone against him a number of times, always respected his game, has good speed, knows how to play the position. Some guys have good speed but they’re not true wide receivers and football players; he’s a combination of both. And like I said, I have a lot of respect for his game. By all accounts, from people that have been around him, some of whom are in our building already, they talk very highly of his professionalism and what he can do. And so, yeah, it’s a good addition to us.”
Although he’ll be practicing with the team for the first time Wednesday, McDermott said there’s a chance he could play against the Steelers. Wide receiver/kick returner Mecole Hardman did that when he joined the team the week of the Tampa Bay game and then played after just three practices.
“Some of that is when you’re a veteran player, you’re around for a reason and you pick up different systems, and sometimes it’s just terminology, even though the route may be the same from one team to the next, it’s just the terminology,” McDermott said. “So he’s off to a good start from what I understand, and we look forward to watching him today in practice.”
Josh Allen practices in full despite elbow injury
McDermott said Allen is practicing in full, but he did admit the quarterback is still sore after the beating he took in Houston, particularly is elbow which got smashed in the game.
“Just some overall soreness, soreness in his elbow a little bit there,” he said. “He took 12 hits, so it’s overall soreness and then the arm, elbow, however you want to say it.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Latest injury report puts two Bills starters in question for Steelers clash
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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