The Buffalo Bills may have righted the ship in Week 8 against the Panthers, but they're far from healthy. There's a lot of work to be done to beat the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, and plenty of injuries to get it the way.
Now that the final injury report is here, there's an unfortunately large amount to discuss. From a last-second addition to a surprising inactive, it's a busy week for Buffalo. Let's get down to it.
Bills' Week 8 injury report vs. Chiefs per the Bills' PR X account
DE Joey Bosa - Vet Rest
Joey Bosa has brought great effort odd the edge this season, but it has a cost. Bosa took a rest day to start Week 9, but will be fresh for Sunday against the Chiefs. The Bills will need him.
Ray Davis - Illness
Ray Davis missed Wednesday's practice with an undisclosed illness, but was back on Thursday and practiced without limitations. He is ready to play against Kansas City.
TE Dalton Kincaid - Oblique
After missing Week 6 with an oblique injury, Dalton Kincaid was limited in practice last week. He was listed as questionable but ultimately played and contributed. He is off the injury report for Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and will be active.
S Taylor Rapp - Knee
Taylor Rapp is officially on the injured reserve, following a knee injury somewhere around the Bills' bye week. He joins Damar Hamlin in missing extended time. It is likely a season-ending stint, as he has undergone knee surgery and the recovery time is extensive.
The Buffalo Bills have promoted veteran safety Jordan Poyer to the active roster, alongside Cole Bishop, Sam Franklin Jr, and Jordan Hancock. If Buffalo seeks additional help, and they should, there are plenty of safeties to trade for, and some free agents also.
DT Ed Oliver - Bicep
Having returned only recently from his leg injuries, Ed Oliver now takes what is likely an extended leave for a torn bicep, and is now on the injured reserve. The injury occurred during Sunday's blowout win over the Carolina Panthers. Ed Oliver rapidly left the game for testing after a play. The team knew something was wrong immediately, but all hope is not lost.
Ed Oliver's timeline for return has him potentially coming back in January or February, to help in a playoff run. It will depend entirely on the severity of the tear, and his recovery, but there's a chance. For now, it's rest and recovery on the injured reserve. In a corresponding move, Buffalo promoted Jordan Phillips to the active roster.
DT Jordan Phillips - Vet Rest
Following an unexpectedly thorough bout of action against Carolina, Jordan Phillips had a vet rest day this week. It's all he was named on the injury report for, and he is ready to go against the Kansas City Chiefs.
LB Matt Milano - Pectoral
Matt Milano is struggling to stay on the field this year, and it's become an expectation. He's played in only three games this season, and not since Week 5. His play when active is not as splashy as the Milano of old, but he's still the best outside linebacker on the roster for his coverage, which will be needed against the Chiefs on Sunday.
His pec injury, the latest of a long string, seems to be improved. Milano started this week as a full participant in practice, and stayed that way. He will be available for gameday.
WR Joshua Palmer - Knee/Ankle
Josh Palmer's knee and ankle injury from the Falcons game shows some progress, but there's still some ways to go before the athletic wide receiver gets back on the field for the Bills. He had yet to participate in practice three weeks removed from his injury, but was upgraded to limited on Thursday. Now, he is already declared out for Week 9, but things are improving.
If Palmer progresses well, he could be on the field next Sunday. He's made strides, but wouldn't be at 100% until Week 11 at the earliest.
LB Terrel Bernard - Ankle
Terrel Bernard has been dealing with an ankle injury since the Bills' Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He was limited in practice all week but was active against the Carolina Panthers. Oddly, he did not register a snap in the game despite being dressed and on the sidelines.
Thankfully, Bernard practiced fully for Week 9, and is ready to go.
CB Maxwell Hairston - Knee
Maxwell Hairston was limited in practice for all of Week 8, his first time on the field since before preseason. He was questionable, but played a great amount in a surprise outing. His debut was better than expected for an injured rookie, and he is off the injury report this week. It's unclear how the Buffalo Bills plan to use Hairston against Kansas City, but they will certainly be using him.
DT DaQuan Jones - Calf
DaQuan Jones remained out of practice with his calf injury after missing Week 8. He is still yet to hit the injured reserve, which is cause for guarded optimism. Still, he was declared out early for Week 9. DaQuan Jones is still unable to go, so rookie DT Deone Walker plays yet another commanding game.
K Matt Prater - Right Calf
Prater was a surprise addition to start the week, as he deals with some strain in his kicking leg. He was limited the entire week in practice but is considered healthy for gameday and has no injury designation.
If Prater has any issues, the lone available kicker for Buffalo would be RB Ray Davis. He made a PAT in preseason and is listed as the Bills reserve kicker on the depth chart. With no kicker on the practice squad, it's a concern.
LB Shaq Thompson - Hamstring
Joining Prater as a surprise addition is Shaq Thompson, with some hamstring discomfort. With Terrel Bernard sitting out Week 8, Shaq Thompson saw an elevated snap count. The work seemed fine, but his hamstring injury may be related to that.
He was limited in practice to start the week and dropped to a non-participant status by Thursday. Milano and Bernard are ready to return, making this the right week for Thompson to get some rest. He is officially out, but nothing indicates this to be a long-term loss.
CB Taron Johnson - Groin
Taron Johnson was healthy all week, but a surprise groin injury in practice on Friday has him questionable for gameday. Losing him would be significant, with Patrick Mahomes and company visiting.
Injury Summary
Seemingly overnight, the Bills have become very thin at defensive tackle. There are sometrades the Bills could make ahead of the November 4th trade deadline, but things will be different without Ed Oliver long-term. Deone Walker has excelled, thankfully, but the team needs more. With any luck, Larry Ogunjobi will step up and TJ Walker will return from injured reserve in form soon.
At safety, Buffalo needs to make a move. Be it a trade or free agent pickup, they cannot run through the postseason with the current combination of players. Taylor Rapp was no star, but he was undoubtedly one of he best two safeties in this lineup. This matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs for Week 9 will be a litmus test for the severity of the situation.
Taron Johnson's late addition is cause for concern; Rarely do players suffer sudden injuries late in the week and still play. Johnson is one of the more critical defenders in the Bills secondary, and the Kansas City Chiefs will surely take advantage of Buffalo's already-thin unit.