ORCHARD PARK – Nothing changed from Monday to Tuesday regarding the Buffalo Bills injury report.
Coach Sean McDermott said that the same two players who did not practice Monday – defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano – will once again sit out Tuesday, while linebacker Shaq Thompson and defensive backs Taron Johnson and Cam Lewis would work on a limited basis.
As it stands right now, it seems highly unlikely that Oliver or Milano will play Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium.
Oliver was still in a walking boot after suffering an ankle injury last week in practice which caused him to miss Sunday’s 30-10 victory over the Jets. Milano left that game in the second quarter after suffering a pectoral muscle injury and did not return.
Milano has been slowed by injuries in each of the previous two seasons when he played just nine games, and last year’s injury – which cost him the first 11 games was also a pectoral muscle that he hurt in training camp.
What Sean McDermott says about Buffalo Bills’ injuries
McDermott did not want to get into any long-term timeline on either player, saying, “We listen to Nate (Breske) and our training staff, our medical team, all our docs the same way. We wait on their clearance, if you will, to say, ‘Hey, yeah, it’s safe for the player to play.’ I think that’s No. 1, I know No. 1, and then making sure a player cannot hurt himself potentially more with any injury.”
By saying that it was possible Milano could practice Wednesday, McDermott seemed to be indicating his injury might not be serious, but he added, “We’ll see. Hopefully we can get him back. We will see what it looks like as we head into tomorrow here.”
As for Johnson and Lewis, if one or both can’t play, the Bills have some serious problems as they are the primary nickel cornerbacks on the team. Johnson missed the Jets game with a quad muscle injury and Lewis took his place, but then he suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter and had to exit.
Who may fill in for Buffalo Bills’ injured players?
One player who might be an option is rookie Jordan Hancock who has missed the first two games with a shoulder injury but practiced Monday and Tuesday. However, this would be his NFL debut and he is viewed more as a safety at this early stage.
Fellow rookie Dorian Strong could perhaps play inside. He started on the boundary in Week 1 in place of injured Tre’Davious White, then played mostly special teams in Week 2 when White returned. Ja’Marcus Ingram and Brandon Codrington are the other cornerbacks on the 53-man roster.
At linebacker, Dorian Williams would step in for Milano, but the Bills have depth concerns. Thompson’s status will likely be questionable after he missed the Jets game. Joe Andreessen is primarily the MLB backup for Terrel Bernard, so if Thompson can’t play, the Bills would probably have to elevate Keonta Jenkins from the practice squad for the second week in a row.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer 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: Bills injury updates: What McDermott says before Thursday night game vs Dolphins
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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