It’s been a week since the Buffalo Bills played football, but it feels like a lot longer. Despite the extra three days of rest, Buffalo is still dealing with a lengthy injury list as they began practice
before their Week 13 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday.
Quarterback Josh Allen scared all of Western New York last Thursday when, after being taken down from behind, he laid on the turf in obvious pain. Allen never missed a play, and went back into the game with gauze and tape on his left elbow as the broadcast said he looked to have some turf burn. Now, however, it’s his right elbow the Bills are listing on the injury report with head coach Sean McDermott saying that he’s dealing with “soreness.” Allen could be seen with Kinesio tape on the elbow during practice.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard left last week’s game and returned to the sideline with his arm in a sling. It’s no surprise that he’s not practicing yet. Last week, McDermott said that he would consider the linebacker week-to-week. When asked specifically about Injured Reserve (IR), McDermott said he wouldn’t rule it out, but the fact that Bernard hasn’t been moved yet is a good sign. He most likely won’t play against Pittsburgh but could return the following week, perhaps in an elbow brace similar to what we saw safety Jordan Poyer (2022) and linebacker Dorian Williams (2024) play in.
Right tackle Spencer Brown suffered a shoulder injury during the Week 12 loss in Houston. He was very ineffective on the offensive line after the injury, however the 27-year-old right tackle remained in the game. He’s another player McDermott mentioned would be week-to-week, and also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of IR.
Buffalo opened offensive lineman Tylan Grable’s practice window this week. Grable has been on IR since the beginning of the season with what was listed as a concussion sustained in August. Grable’s return could indicate that the Bills are, at the very least, strongly considering Brown missing multiple games.
Also dealing with concussions are left tackle Dion Dawkins and rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston. Hairston left the game in Houston as the Bills ruled him out with a concussion. The fact that he’s now listed as a limited participant at practice means he’s in the second to last stage of the league’s concussion protocol. He will need to be symptom free after Wednesday’s practice and then have a full (with contact) practice before he can be evaluated by an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant.
Dawkins is a very interesting situation. The Bills’ left tackle was pulled from the game after a league spotter decided he looked like he had suffered head trauma. Dawkins went to the medical tent, was cleared, and returned for the remainder of the game. Josh Allen spent the entire game running for his life – taking eight sacks (the most in a single game in his career) as his offensive line looked like they couldn’t keep up. Now, there will be plenty of questions about whether Dawkins should have been allowed to return to the game. Regardless, he’s now in concussion protocol and is at least one step behind Hairston as he was still a DNP. Until he has a limited practice, we really won’t know where in the protocol Dawkins is.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Curtis Samuel are still not practicing. Kincaid was injured in Week 10 and has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Samuel’s latest injuries include an elbow and a knee. The wide receiver didn’t play in Week 12 after having two catches for 19 yards in Week 11.
With two more days of practice before the Bills head to Pittsburgh, there’s plenty to keep an eye on regarding the injury front once again.
