Sean McDermott provides worrying injury update on multiple key Bills players, including first-round pick Maxwell Hairston
Not the update fans were hoping to hear.
The Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints Week 4 matchup is set for action on Sunday, Sept. 28. It’s been a nice break for the Bills players after their victory on “Thursday Night Football” against the Miami Dolphins, getting some extra rest ahead of the contest. However, head coach Sean McDermott spoke on Tuesday about some injuries the team is suffering from, worrying fans with his update.
Linebacker Matt Milano, defensive tackle Ed Oliver, and offensive lineman Spencer Brown are all unable to practice.
“I’m going to give you the injury report, what I know right now,” McDermott said. “We’ve got, for practice today, these three players will not practice. Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Spencer Brown. Spencer’s dealing with a calf. All are improving and heading in the right direction; it’s just a matter of taking it one day at a time, and we’ll see where it goes this week.”
Brown is the recent addition to the injury report, with plenty of time to get healthy ahead of the matchup. Nevertheless, injuries continue to pile up at One Bills Drive, and all eyes will be on the availability of these key players leading up to the matchup.
Concerning injury update on Maxwell Hairston
McDermott provided yet another update during his media availability, shedding light on rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, who has been on injured reserve to start the season. The team can open up a 21-day practice window for Hairston as early as Monday, but McDermott said not so fast.
“He’s working, that’s what I can tell you. He’s working in the right direction. We’ll see, I don’t know how many weeks it’ll be,” McDermott added. “You gotta remember, Max has been out since whatever day or week in training camp. So all the physical parts, yes, but also all the mental parts, the playbook, those things. Right now, it’s lowering expectations and managing them and taking it one day at a time. Seeing when and if he can come back.”
McDermott was asked to clarify his comments about when and if Hairston returns.
“I don’t want to cast doubt on the situation, but you still just never know until a player’s back,” McDermott said. “It’s somewhat of a unique injury a little bit. The information I am getting is we’re still taking it one day at a time. You just don’t know, when a player misses this much time, you want to manage the expectations and say, ‘Hey, is he going to come back, and is he going to come back and be able to play and help us,’ because there’s a lot of ground still to cover physically and mentally at this point. But yes, the hope is yes, he’s able to do that, there’s no new report medically at all.”
The head coach then talked about what Hairston has been doing right, noting that the coaching staff is doing whatever they can to set him up for success, despite him missing time.
“Jahmile, our corners coach, has done a really great job of keeping him involved as much as he can,” McDermott said. “You do the best that you can; it’s up to the player to be doing what he can as well. Max has done a good job of that, for the most part. Again, like anything else, there’s a lot of unknowns. That’s really where we’re at, we’re really trying to control what we can, and I know he is as well.”
Cornerback Tre’Davious White has been filling in during Hairston’s absence, with Bills Mafia eager to see what Hairston can do on the football field. While the 21-day practice window can open on Monday, McDermott’s latest comments could mean that’s delayed for a few weeks. Hairston could be seen at practice getting some light work in after McDermott’s comments.
When and if Hairston returns are two different things, with fans hoping the former is more of the case. For now, the team is undefeated, with a few days of practice remaining to see if Milano, Oliver, and Brown can get healthy enough to go for the Week 4 contest.
The jury is out on when Hairston can return, an unfortunate update to start the week.
Buffalo Bills News
Bills rising star is turning heads across the league and provides Buffalo a massive boost ahead of Week 4 showdown vs. Saints
The Buffalo Bills may have a superstar on their hands, through the first three weeks.
