Buffalo Bills place Stevenson Sylvester on Injured Reserve

The Buffalo Bills placed veteran linebacker Stevenson Sylvester on injured reserve on Wednesday, bringing his first season as a member of the team to a close after just five weeks.

Sylvester reportedly has a torn patellar tendon in his knee, which led to today's decision. His loss is a surprisingly big blow to a Bills linebacking corps that's already missing Kiko Alonso for the year, and Nigel Bradham for Week 1.

Perhaps even more importantly, Sylvester had the look of a backup that was going to emerge as a core special teams player for the Bills. He led Buffalo in total special teams reps played through their first three preseason games of the season.

Losing Sylvester also makes the Bills even younger at a young position. All three projected starters (Brandon Spikes, Keith Rivers, and Bradham) are veterans, but with the four-year veteran Sylvester out of the picture, the team's top depth players become drafted rookies Preston Brown and Randell Johnson, undrafted rookie Jimmy Gaines, and second-year pro Ty Powell, a converted defensive end that the team is high on.

Our unofficial depth chart has been updated following the roster move.