Buffalo Rumblings
Week 1 held a lot of fun-filled drama, emotion, an improbable comeback, and some new accolades for the reigning NFL MVP. But now it’s time to put that all in the rearview mirror and move on to Week 2 as the Buffalo Bills travel to New Jersey to take on the New York Jets in their first divisional test of the 2025 season.
That of course means it’s time for a first look at the week’s injury report and how it could potentially affect Sunday afternoon’s active roster. The short answer, according to head coach Sean McDermott, is “we’ll see.” But, of course, there’s much more to it to diagnose over the next few days.
Cornerback Christian Benford, wide receiver Keon Coleman, and cornerback Tre’Davious White are still dealing with groin injuries that had them limited — or worse — in last week’s practices. The injuries didn’t keep Benford and Coleman from contributing in big ways during Week 1’s win over the Baltimore Ravens, while White was among Buffalo’s inactives. It’s good to see that all three were able to practice on Wednesday, and it will be interesting to see how conservative the Bills go with White’s recovery considering rookie cornerback Dorian Strong’s outing this past week.
The other names on today’s injury list weren’t there last week, but it stands to reason after a very physical game that came on top of a preseason where Buffalo’s starters saw very little on field action, there will be some tweaks and strains.
Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson is now suffering from a quad injury that is just serious enough to have kept him out of the first practice completely of Week 2. Linebacker Shaq Thompson was also sidelined on Wednesday while receiving treatment for a pair of injuries: one to his hamstring and one to his hand.
Return specialist Brandon Codrington looked to be shaken up on a return mid-game, was listed as questionable with a knee injury, and was back on the field before too much concern could be mustered. It’s not surprising to see him limited in practice, but it’s also not serious enough for the Bills to keep him sidelined for long.
Running back James Cook visited the medical tent briefly during the early portion of Sunday night’s game. Now we know it was a hamstring that must have been bothering him, but not enough to warrant an official announcement from the team or slow down the running back who put together 102 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in the season opener. Cook was inactive for much of the summer due to contract negotiations, so it could be as simple as needing to adjust to the increased workload. It could also be something more. As McDermott said, ‘We’ll see.”
Defensive end Greg Rousseau picked up a knee injury at some point, but it wasn’t observed on live film. Likewise, tight end Dawson Knox now has a hip injury that’s new news, although I did notice his gate postgame was...
