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Buffalo Bills facing multiple injuries to key players Samuel, Valdes-Scantling, Hamlin, and Trubisky
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    Buffalo Bills facing multiple injuries to key players Samuel, Valdes-Scantling, Hamlin, and Trubisky

    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills face the prospect of limping into the regular season with a mounting number of injured players, who now include receivers Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, safety Damar Hamlin and backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

    Coach Sean McDermott on Monday listed all four as being week to week. McDermott declined to specify which players in saying there is concern some are in jeopardy of missing the season opener against Arizona on Sept. 8.

    Samuel is out with a turf toe injury and Hamlin out with a hamstring injury both sustained last week. Valdes-Scantling (neck) and Trubisky (knee) were hurt in a 9-3 pre-season win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

    The injuries affect key players for the four-time defending AFC East champions, who were already breaking in a number of new starters at numerous positions following an offseason salary cap-forced overhaul. Buffalo opened training camp with 43 newcomers and just 11 players left from 2020.

    The injuries come on the heels of starting linebacker Matt Milano, who is expected to miss at least the first few months of the season after he tore his left bicep in practice last week.

    McDermott expressed such concern over the rash of injuries that he has already decided to sit all of his projected starters for Buffalo’s preseason finale against Carolina on Saturday, while also cutting back on practice time this week.

    “It’s a challenge, but we’ll find our way through it,” McDermott said. “Right now, we’ve got to be solution-oriented.”

    Samuel and Valdes-Scantling were veteran off-season free agent additions brought in to be part of Buffalo’s new-look receiver group in the wake of the Bills trading their top threat Stefon Diggs to Houston and losing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. That group also included Chase Claypool, who was released upon reaching an injury settlement last week, and after missing a majority of training camp with a toe injury.

    Trubisky’s injury leads to Buffalo being in the market for a quarterback for a second straight week — though this time it’s to be Josh Allen’s primary backup. Last week, the Bills signed Ben DiNucci to take over the third-string role after Shane Buechele hurt his neck in a pre-season-opening loss to Chicago.

    Hamlin was competing for a starting job at a position already depleted by injury with veteran free agent addition Mike Edwards (hamstring) and rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop (shoulder) both missing a majority of training camp. McDermott said Edwards and Bishop are both expected to be eased into practice this week.

    Also scheduled to resume practising is veteran linebacker Nicholas Morrow, who has missed extensive time with an ankle injury.

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    The Buffalo Bills are facing a tough challenge as they head into the second half of the season with multiple key players dealing with injuries. Wide receivers Emmanuel Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, safety Dean Marlowe Hamlin, and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky are all currently sidelined, leaving the team with some big holes to fill.

    Samuel, who has been a reliable target for quarterback Josh Allen this season, suffered a knee injury in the Bills’ last game and is expected to miss several weeks. Valdes-Scantling, who was acquired in a trade earlier this season, is dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of practice for the past few weeks. Hamlin, a key player in the Bills’ secondary, is nursing a shoulder injury that could keep him out for an extended period of time. And Trubisky, who was brought in as a backup to Allen, is dealing with a hand injury that has limited his availability in practice.

    The loss of these key players is certainly a blow to the Bills’ playoff hopes, as they currently sit at 5-3 and are in the thick of the AFC playoff race. However, head coach Sean McDermott remains optimistic about the team’s chances moving forward.

    “We have a next-man-up mentality here in Buffalo,” McDermott said in a recent press conference. “We have confidence in the depth of our roster and we believe that we have the talent to overcome these injuries and continue to compete at a high level.”

    Indeed, the Bills will need their depth to step up in a big way if they hope to stay competitive in the tough AFC East division. Wide receivers Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie will likely see increased playing time in the absence of Samuel and Valdes-Scantling, while safety Jaquan Johnson and quarterback Davis Webb will need to be ready to fill in for Hamlin and Trubisky, respectively.

    It’s never easy to overcome injuries to key players, but the Bills have shown resilience in the past and will need to continue to do so if they hope to make a deep playoff run this season. With tough matchups against division rivals like the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins looming on the schedule, Buffalo will need all hands on deck to secure a playoff spot and make a run at the Super Bowl.