Buffalo Bills injury report is “a real problem,” says Sean McDermott

If there was one positive to take away from coach Sean McDermott's Zoom call with reporters on Monday, it was the fact that there are still three weeks until the Buffalo Bills start the regular season.

Perhaps this time will be enough to get the majority of players fit in time for the Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals despite the insanely long injury list, but in some cases it may not be enough, and that is indeed a worrying development.

Latest information on Mitchell Trubisky's injury

The biggest news is that backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will be out for several weeks, as expected, with a knee injury. McDermott also confirmed that general manager Brandon Beane is in the process of signing another quarterback.

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Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has a knee injury that will keep him out of action for at least several weeks.

“They've started,” McDermott said of discussions with potential candidates. “But they're ongoing. We're working on it. I know Brandon is working on it with his team, so it's something we'll definitely have to keep an eye on and we'll continue to do that.”

McDermott read a list of minor injuries so extensive it would have seemed like it was December rather than mid-August, and he acknowledged that the injuries were becoming a major problem because not only would so many players be unavailable, but it would also impact the Bills' practice and personnel deployment in the final preseason game against Carolina on Saturday.

More updates on injuries to Buffalo Bills players

In addition to Trubisky, three other players were injured last week in Pittsburgh and will be out for several weeks. Safety Damar Hamlin suffered a torn muscle fiber in his thigh during training, and in the 9-3 victory, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling suffered a neck injury and Quintin Morris injured his shoulder.

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel is struggling with turf toe, so he is out from week to week, as is linebacker Baylon Spector with a calf injury.

And rookie edge rusher Javon Solomon and defensive tackle Austin Johnson both have suffered calf injuries and will be limited this week. As for players struggling with ailments, safeties Michael Edwards And Cole Bishop and linebackers Nicholas Morrow start to improve, but they will neither train nor participate in the game.

What Sean McDermott says about the injury updates

“That's really concerning,” he said of the length of the injury report. “Right now, we have to be solution-oriented. And as coaches, we're going to try to get the guys that can do the walkthrough (Monday afternoon) and get some of those reps. That's all we can do with some of those guys right now, and that's why it's better than nothing, which has been the case with some of them.”

The three biggest concerns are the quarterback, safety and linebacker.

The Bills were already hampered last week when third quarterback Shane Buechele suffered a neck injury in the game against the Bears that put him out of action for an extended period.

The team was forced to sign Ben DiNucci, fresh off the golf course, but DiNucci is by no means competent enough to take Trubisky's spot as the No. 2 overall prospect. He's a natural fit for the practice squad, so the Bills need to find a solution, and quickly, to get the player up to speed, play on Saturday, and then be ready for the opening game, because Trubisky may not be ready to return yet.

The Buffalo Bills’ injury problems have increased

Fire alarms are going off in the walls of One Bills Drive's security department. Bishop and Edwards have been out since training camp began, and Hamlin started alongside Taylor Rapp. The Bills are down to players like Kareem Jackson, Terrell Burgess, Cam Lewis, Kendall Richardson and Dee Delaney.

And then the loss of Matt Milano at linebacker was a big loss, Morrow has missed most of the summer with a groin injury, and Spector is injured again. Last week, McDermott intentionally benched Terrel Bernard to protect him, so the Bills are relying on Dorian Williams, Deion Jones, and rookies Joe Andreessen and Edufuan Ulofoshio.

“That's one of the challenges we're facing, both at safeties and linebackers. There are key players that haven't been able to show their effort, whether it's throughout the spring and training camp or in some cases at least the majority of training camp,” McDermott said.

“The biggest challenge is when a player is injured. That's one thing, but when a new player is injured who doesn't know what we're doing systematically, that's a whole different thing. So we're trying to capture every rep we can get and just use it in the walkthrough this week because we're getting closer and closer to the season here.”

The Buffalo Bills starters will not play in the final preseason game

The situation is so serious that McDermott has already decided not to use any of his regular players against the Panthers because he cannot afford to risk an injury to one of them.

“The original plan was to play some this week, but due to the injuries and lack of availability, we're going to take some out, let the other guys play and take a good look at them,” he said. “It should be a good opportunity for them to show their best side and for us to thoroughly evaluate that part of the squad.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades, including 35 years as a full-time reporter for D&C, and has written numerous books on the team's history. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @salmaiorana.

Buffalo Bills injury report is “a real problem,” says Sean McDermott

Latest information on Mitchell Trubisky's injury

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