Marcell Dareus Injury Leaves Bills Rookie On Crutches

The Buffalo Bills closed practice to media for the first time since training camp open on Wednesday, so details are only trickling out now about Marcell Dareus' ankle injury sustained during practice today. The Buffalo News reports that Dareus was spotted in the locker room after practice with his left ankle heavily taped and walking with crutches. Clearly, the extent of the injury is not yet known.

However, there's also a hint of good news: WGRZ reports that Dareus did make it off the practice field on his own power. It's possible that the post-practice treatment was merely precautionary.

Through two pre-season games running as a starting defensive lineman, Dareus has accumulated two sacks and proven that he's got what it takes to be a force for Buffalo's new-look defense as a rookie. Let's assume that there's a shred of justice in this world, and that Dareus' injury turns out to be minor. He doesn't have much left to prove in the pre-season, so expect him to miss at least this next pre-season game, and possibly the last two. We'll likely hear word on his availability for Saturday a bit later on this week.