The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers will renew their AFL-roots rivalry on Sunday for a Week 3 showdown at Highmark Stadium. It’s a matchup that represents two teams seemingly headed in opposite directions, but a pair of rosters in the midst of some roster challenges.
Will the Bills have two important wide receivers in their starting lineup Sunday? What about the Chargers and their offensive line? Read on below for updates on those situations and quite a few other injury statuses we’re monitoring
with only one practice left on Friday for this week.
Buffalo Bills Thursday injury report
No practice:
- WR Keon Coleman (ankle)
- DB Jordan Hancock (hamstring)
- WR DJ Moore (shoulder)
- DL T.J. Sanders (illness)
Limited practice:
- DL Ed Oliver (hip)
- OG Ar’maj Reed-Adams (elbow)
Full practice:
- ILB Joe Andreessen (knee)
- ILB Terrel Bernard (knee)
- OLB Bradley Chubb (thumb)
- RB Ty Johnson (hamstring)
What we’re watching
The Bills have a total of six regular starters listed with injuries this week. Keon Coleman has now been a “DNP” for two consecutive practices after landing on the injury list Wednesday. All signs point to him dealing with an ankle injury that occurred in-action against the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
DJ Moore was downgraded to “DNP” for Thursday’s session, after being a limited participant on Wednesday. We’ve been told that Moore’s injury is an AC joint shoulder sprain, and that he has a chance to suit up in Week 3. His status Thursday could be about rest and soreness, but it’s impossible to know without hearing directly from the team — including the prospects of him playing Sunday afternoon. Regardless, Moore is unlikely to be fully healed by Sunday.
Buffalo could find itself scrambling to fill two main voids at wide receiver if Coleman and Moore are sidelined. Wide receivers Greg Dortch, Stephen Gosnell, Ja’Mori Maclin, and Trent Sherfield Sr. are all on the team’s practice squad.
Dortch has one more call-up in the regular season before he’d need to be signed to the 53-man roster. Of important note is that Dortch cannot be released and later signed back to the practice squad with a renewed set of call-ups in the current regular season. Practice-squad call-ups don’t reset until the NFL playoffs. Beyond Dortch, the team could roll with Sherfield’s game experience, or toss the dice with a pair of unproven players in Gosnell and Maclin.
Also missing two practices in a row is T.J. Sanders, who is listed with an illness. There’s no additional information to better understand this situation. Jordan Hancock was downgraded to “DNP” after logging a limited practice session on Wednesday.
There’s good news out of Thursday’s injury list, namely that Ed Oliver was able to practice in a limited capacity after a “DNP” on Wednesday. Also, it’s likely Buffalo will get Ty Johnson back in Week 3, which could once again put the brakes on running back Frank Gore Jr.‘s playing opportunity (who also has one remaining practice-squad call-up).
Los Angeles Chargers Thursday injury report
No practice:
- OG Kayode Awosika (fibula)
- TE Charlie Kolar (forearm)
- DB Elijah Molden (hamstring)
- OG/OT Trey Pipkins III (knee)
- CB Rodney Shelley (hamstring)
- WR Brenen Thompson (quadriceps)
- DL Dalvin Tomlinson (hamstring)
Limited practice:
OLB Tuli Tuipulotu (hamstring)
Full practice:
- S Derwin James Jr. (finger/NIR-rest)
- DB Deane Leonhard (abdomen)
- OLB Khalil Mack (NIR-rest)
- WR Ladd McConkey (ribs)
- OT Rashawn Slater (groin)
- OG Cole Strange (pectoral)
What we’re watching
The Chargers have a lot to manage, with 14 players on this week’s injury report. It’s not an ideal situation for a team looking to pick up its first win with a road date against the 2-0 Bills in Week 3. This list also doesn’t reflect those players placed on Injured Reserve (IR), notably tight end David Njoku.
Charlie Kolar avoided the IR term, but his recent forearm surgery will likely keep him out of the lineup in Week 3. The only players who improved from “DNP” statuses on Wednesday were Derwin James Jr. and Khalil Mack, who both received scheduled vet rest days.
A pair of offensive linemen improved from “Limited” to “FULL” for Los Angeles, which should help them in sorting Sunday’s roster. We’ll see if both offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and offensive guard Cole Strange are able to play in Week 3.
Unfortunately, cornerback Rodney Shelley was downgraded to “DNP” Thursday after putting together a limited session on Wednesday.
