Buffalo Bills place Bryan Cox Jr. on injured reserve

The Buffalo Bills did see one player suffer a serious injury during minicamp last week and it was announced that defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury. During practice last week, multiple reporters including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic had tweeted that Bryan Cox Jr. had come up limping after a play and was carted away.

There weren’t any updates at the time but it is now clear that it was a serious injury that will cost the pass rusher likely the entire season.

Bryan Cox Jr. joined the Bills last offseason but was released prior to the season. He returned as a member of the practice squad and was called up to the active roster in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He would finish that game with one solo tackle.

The Buffalo Bills brought defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. back on a reserves/future contract this offseason.

Prior to joining the Buffalo Bills, Bryan Cox Jr. started his career with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2017 where he spent a little over two seasons. He was released during the season in 2019 and joined the Cleveland Browns for the remainder of the year where he played six games and finished with 12 total tackles and 5 QB hits.

Entering this season, Bryan Cox Jr. was likely a long shot to make the 53-man roster. The Buffalo Bills had drafted Greg Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr. while also signing free agent Efe Obada. When considering the team still had veterans Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, along with second round pick last year A.J. Epenesa, the roster spots would have been limited.

At the time of the Buffalo Bills placing Bryan Cox Jr. on injured reserve, they also signed two defensive tackles, Eli Ankou and Nazair Jones.