WR David Nelson Out for Year With ACL Tear; Fred Jackson Out for at Least Three Weeks

Dec 4, 2011; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver David Nelson (86) before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Bills after the beatdown the team took from the Jets on opening day, it is now official: David Nelson and Fred Jackson will miss extended time.

Nelson suffered a nasty looking leg injury during the game and he has now confirmed that it is an ACL tear.

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Nelson’s quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was devastated by the news. “That’s a really tough loss for us,” said Fitzpatrick. “Something like that just kills me. I lose sleep over something like that. He’s such a great guy and worked so hard to get to where he is right now. He was primed to have a big year. Our chemistry was great. We were really on the same page with a lot of stuff we were doing. That’s something you never want to see.”

That really is a tough break for Nelson, who by all accounts is a really good guy. He’s fought his way into a major role on this team after coming into the league as an undrafted rookie, and he really is a huge part of the offense.

It will likely be up to rookie T.J. Graham to fill some of that role left behind by Nelson. We will also likely see Donald Jones work out of the slot a lot more.

In not quite as bad news, RB Fred Jackson will be out for at least three weeks with a hyper-extended leg issue. If you saw the hit he took Sunday, you are likely shocked he didn’t break the leg.

Teammate and fellow RB C.J. Spiller was obviously not happy to hear about his friend and mentor’s injury, but he knows he’ll have to step up. “It’s a huge blow,” said Spiller on the loss of Jackson. “Fred got voted as a captain and speaks to what guys think of him on this team. This just means I’ve got to do a great job of making sure that I’m ready to go until we get 22 back. But I have all the confidence in the world that we’ll get this thing rolling.”

Fortunately, the one player who played well on Sunday was Spiller, so that’s encouraging.

Less encouraging is the fact this means that Tashard Choice will have to play more. Ugh.

The Bills have an empty roster spot with Nelson heading to injured reserve. It will almost certainly be a RB or WR. The Bills do not have a RB on the practice squad, but WRs Kamar Aiken and Marcus Easley could be options from the practice unit.