No injured Bills besides Matt Milano ‘definitively’ ruled out for Week 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Despite the Bills’ sizable injury report entering their final preseason game, head coach Sean McDermott is not overly concerned with his players’ availability for the regular season opener.

McDermott is not “definitively” ruling out any injured Bill, besides linebacker Matt Milano , for Buffalo’s Week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 8, he said during a Thursday press conference.

“There’s a lot of murkiness right now, but we’ve been through this before,” McDermott said. “You have a number of injuries then all of a sudden, Week 1, you’re down to like three guys on the injury report. We’ll go through that and we’ll work our butts off, I know they will as well, to get back and help our team.”

Arguably the hardest-hit position injury-wise this preseason is safety, with Mike Edwards (hamstring), Cole Bishop (shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (hamstring) all missing time. Buffalo received some good news this week when Edwards and Bishop both returned to practice, albeit in limited fashion.

Additionally, wide receivers Curtis Samuel (turf toe) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) picked up injuries within the last week, but McDermott was fairly confident both would be ready for the opener.

“I feel like those two, from what I’ve heard so far, have a real good chance of being back,” McDermott said. “Just not committing to it yet.”

Other notable injuries include tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder) and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky (knee), who are also listed as week-to-week and most likely will not feature in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.

McDermott confirmed on Monday that despite originally planning to have starters play against Carolina, they will sit out due to the rash of injuries.

There were a few additions to the injury list Thursday, including cornerback Taron Johnson (quad), but McDermott said the 28-year-old was being held out for preventative reasons and is just “sore.”

Depth safety Terrell Burgess suffered a strained hamstring and will most likely not play against the Panthers, and center Will Clapp is in concussion protocol, according to McDermott.

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