Rex Ryan said it best following Thursday’s night session – the Buffalo Bills just can’t buy an injury-free practice.
Even when the team holds a no contact, half-pads practice, injuries keep piling up. Aaron Williams and Dez Lewis are the latest Bills to fall victim to the injury bug following a scary collision Thursday night.
Lewis, a second-year wide receiver, was running a slant route over the middle when he collided with Williams, a veteran safety coming off neck surgery. Lewis popped up first but Williams remained down for several minutes. Both left practice and did not return.
The team is evaluating Williams for a concussion, which is actually good news considering last year’s neck injury nearly ended his career. Lewis on the other hand is just being “evaluating” according the team, but was seen by Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News exiting the locker room with an ice pack on his shoulder.
Their status for tonight’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts is unclear.
Here’s an update on the rest of the Bills’ key injuries.
Manny Lawson: The veteran linebacker remains out with a partially torn pectoral muscle. He’s been doing limited work at training camp on the sideline, but hasn’t participated in a full practice. He thinks he’ll back by Week 1 at Baltimore.
Cordy Glenn: The Bills left tackle is out with an apparent high ankle sprain. Glenn is expected to miss the entire preseason and be ready for Week 1 at Baltimore. While the injury forces tackle Cyrus Kouandjio to step in to work with the first team offense in practice and preseason (never a good sign considering his struggles), the injury shouldn’t keep Glenn out of any meaningful. games
Our in-house doctor Nick Malize broke down Glenn’s injury on Thursday.
Richie Incognito: Sore ribs are keeping Incognito out of practice. This is the least serious injury to a Bills starter. It’s safe to assume that if the season opener was today, Incognito would be out there. The worst part about the injuries to Glenn and Incognito is the fact that Kouandjio and guard Ryan Groy are working with the 1’s in practice. The offense hasn’t looked sharp in practice since both went down with quarterback Tyrod Taylor facing a lot of pressure.
Greg Salas: A hamstring injury forced Salas to leave practice Wednesday. Salas has had a consistent camp and has a great shot to make the Bills 53-man roster. The injury doesn’t seem serious, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he sat out against Indianapolis.
Reggie Ragland: Undoubtedly, the biggest blow the Bills have suffered during training camp is Ragland’s injury. Even with all of the injuries the team has suffered, none are as serious as Ragland’s. The rookie middle linebacker will have surgery for a torn ACL and he is expected to miss the season, according the team. The Bills signed linebackers Brandon Spikes and David Hawthorne in the wake of Ragland’s injury. Veteran Zach Brown figures to be the lead candidate now to start at weakside middle linebacker opposite Preston Brown.
Shaq Lawson: Recovering from shoulder surgery, the Bills first-round pick Shaq Lawson is now expected to returned to at least October. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lawson is expected to return between Weeks 6 and 8.
Bills LB Shaq Lawson is expected back between Weeks 6 and 8, source tells ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. https://t.co/UsRcV764MQ
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 10, 2016
Seantrel Henderson: Right tackle Seantrel Henderson remains on the active-non-football illness list as he recovers from offseason surgeries stemming from his diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease. It’s unclear when he’ll be promoted to the active roster. Jordan Mills continues to start at right tackle and has looked good.
Karlos Williams: The Bills second-year running back will miss the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Williams is started training camp on the non-football illness list and has yet to practice. He’s been working off to the side trying to get back into shape after coming to minicamp overweight.
Marcus Easley: After breaking his knee in three places and dislocating his kneecap against Dallas last season, Easley continues to recover from surgery. The initial prognosis slated Easley recovering in 7-9 months. He remains on the PUP list.