Bills may be without key WR vs Colts, defensive lineman placed on IR: Injury updates
ORCHARD PARK - Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that wide receiver Keon Coleman’s status for Sunday’s game in Indianapolis will not be known until later in the week.
Coleman sustained a wrist/hand injury late in Buffalo’s 30-27 victory over Miami Sunday thanks to a big hit from ex-Bill Jordan Poyer. Poyer used his helmet to smash into Coleman head to head and drew a critical personal foul penalty that ultimately cost the Dolphins a chance to win.
When Coleman hit the ground, he appeared to land on his left arm and that’s when the injury occurred. He actually left the field with a trainer before Tyler Bass kicked the game-winning field goal.
“It's an ongoing evaluation of his situation, so I’ll know more as we move through the week here,” McDermott said of Coleman, adding that he’s holding out hope that it isn’t a long-term situation. Of course, that sounds a bit ominous.
The Bills were already without wide receiver Amari Cooper due to a wrist injury as he was inactive for the game, and it’s unknown how serious that is, or whether he can return for the Colts game. The same held true for Christian Benford who sat out with a wrist injury.
Also, McDermott announced that defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot will go on injured reserve and require surgery for, you guessed it, a wrist injury. His absence means players like Casey Toohill and Javon Solomon could be in line for more playing time, unless the Bills acquire someone prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline.
As it stands, the top three edge rushers are Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Von Miller who returned to action after sitting out four games on an NFL suspension.
McDermott added that Benford, Cooper and Reggie Gilliam, who also missed the game, will be considered day-to-day this week. “We'll see how they do this week and move forward from there,” McDermott said.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills injury report update: Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper status