Bills Injury Report: Buffalo hit with concerning update that threatens to make Josh Allen’s job far more difficult
A less than ideal update coming out of Buffalo at the worst possible time.
Head coach Sean McDermott spoke to the media on Wednesday, providing a crucial update on a handful of players for the upcoming Week 16 contest against the Cleveland Browns.
Before the week began, the team had ruled out kicker Matt Prater and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. Outside of that, McDermott said that all players were trending in the right direction.
What makes his update a tad bit frustrating is that he didn’t even mention tight end Dalton Kincaid, who popped up on the injury report hours later. While the team was just doing a walkthrough of sorts, it was still a worrying sign. But there was hope that since it was a walkthrough, he could participate in practice later in the week, but that is not the case.
Both Kincaid and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins didn’t practice on Thursday. Dawkins is dealing with an illness, and Kincaid is still battling a knee injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks.
Bills’ Thursday injury report for Week 16
| Player | Injury | W/T/F |
|---|---|---|
| CB Christian Benford | Toe | Limited/Limited |
| LB Terrel Bernard | Elbow | Limited/Full |
| T Dion Dawkins | Illness | DNP/DNP |
| WR Mecole Hardman Jr (IR) | Calf | Limited/Full |
| CB Taron Johnson | Quad | Full/Limited |
| DT DaQuan Jones | Calf | Full/Limited |
| TE Dalton Kincaid | Knee | DNP/DNP |
| DT Jordan Phillips | Ankle | DNP/DNP |
| P Mitch Wishnowsky | Right Knee | NA/Limited |
| K Matt Prater | Right Quad | DNP/DNP |
| DB Cam Lewis | Hamstring | NA/Limited |
| T Chase Lundt | Knee | NA/Limited |
Observations
Outside of Kincaid, the biggest name to keep an eye out for is that of cornerback Christian Benford. Benford is one of the best defensive weapons on the field, and his impact on gamedays cannot be overstated. He was ruled out against the New England Patriots, but is trending in the right direction.
Fortunately, outside of a few key injuries, Buffalo is relatively healthy heading into the contest, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
There were a few names that popped up out of nowhere, like offensive tackle Chase Lundt, defensive back Cam Lewis, and punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Along with that, cornerback Taron Johnson and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones were both full participants on Wednesday, but were downgraded to limited in Thursday’s practice. On the positive side, wide receiver Mecole Hardman was a full participant along with linebacker Terrel Bernard.
All eyes will be on One Bills Drive over the coming days to see how Kincaid and the rest of the injured guys progress through their injuries, and if Benford will truly be able to go on Sunday.
If Buffalo is to continue its postseason push, getting key contributors back on the field will be critical. The next 48 hours should provide much more clarity, but for now, Kincaid’s availability remains very much up in the air, while Benford appears to be trending toward a return.
Friday’s injury report will go a long way in determining just how healthy the Bills will be when they take the field against Cleveland on Sunday.
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