Bills vs. Dolphins: Injury Trends During the Week

The Buffalo Bills will soon head to South Beach, where they will face the Miami Dolphins in a Thursday Evening Football clash of division rivals. Unfortunately, the crowd won’t get the full experience of both teams as injuries quickly piled up in Week 1. Here’s a look at who’s expected to play and who probably won’t play Thursday night.

Bills players on the rise

• QB Josh Allen (hand)
• TE Quintin Morris (shoulder)
• QB Mitch Trubisky (knee)

The entire Bills Mafia let out a collective breath that had been held for nearly 24 hours yesterday when head coach Sean McDermott announced that Allen had been cleared to practice and play. The Bills’ franchise QB was wearing a glove on his left hand during practice Tuesday, which did not throw. The injury, sustained when he decided to leap over an Arizona Cardinals defender and get into the end zone in Buffalo’s Week 1 win, has not slowed Allen down. In the portion of Tuesday’s practice that was open to the media, Allen took snaps both under center and out of the shotgun formation.

Everyone mentioned above is expected to be on the field on Thursday.

Bills players remain steadfast

• RB Ty Johnson (knee)
• THE Javon Solomon (oblique)

Johnson injured his knee in Sunday’s game, but after some time with trainers — and being considered questionable to return — he was back on the field late in the game. With Darrynton Evans on Injured Reserve (IR), we could see Johnson play Thursday.

Solomon is a different story. A calf injury sidelined him during the preseason, and now his obliques are too. Of course, the Bills want more depth on a defensive line that’s sure to get winded trying to keep up with Miami’s high-octane offense, but an inexperienced rookie might not be the answer they need.

Bills players drop

• CB Taron Johnson (knee)
• EDGE Dawuane Smoot (toe)

McDermott ruled that pair out earlier this week. And we still don’t know anything about the injuries. Smoot is believed to be dealing with a turf toe he suffered during a late-week workout in Week 1.

Johnson left Sunday’s game with a forearm injury after just seven plays. McDermott, true to his style, is remaining tight-lipped about the actual injury. However, he did admit Tuesday that the team was evaluating whether it would be beneficial to send Johnson to IR or simply continue to slog along with him as a weekly inactive.

As for the Dolphins, they too won’t be fielding a full team. Here’s a look at how their injured players are progressing.

Dolphins players drop

• RB De’Von Achane (ankle)
• RB Raheem Mostert (chest)
• WR Malik Washington (quads)

It would be a huge loss for the Dolphins to be without Achane and Mostert. Achane had 100 yards from scrimmage in Week 1 and was a headache for Buffalo’s defense last season, and Mostert is a Pro Bowler. If one or both are unavailable on Thursday — which is highly likely with the short week — it’s likely that rookie Jaylen Wright will make his NFL debut.

Dolphins players hold their ground

• OL Liam Eichenberg (shoulder)
• LB Jaelen Phillips (Achilles)
• CB Jalen Ramsey (hamstring injury)

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is certainly hoping Eichenberg is healthy enough to play Thursday. With Buffalo having recorded four sacks last week, Miami will want to protect their quarterback at all costs. And if their running game is in doubt because Achane and/or Mostert aren’t fully fit, an inexperienced lineman won’t help Tagovailoa stay afloat Thursday night.

While the Bills may be without Stefon Diggs, that didn’t stop them from scoring on Sunday. Buffalo is utilizing a receiver-by-committee approach this year, and while Ramsey’s backup knows the Bills well — Siran Neal was drafted by the Bills in 2018 and remained in Buffalo until this season — he was never a do-it-all cornerback and would have his hands full with Buffalo’s physical rookie Keon Coleman or the craftiness of Khalil Shakir.

Dolphins players on the rise

Long injured his finger during Sunday’s match, but did not miss training, so we assume he will be able to play on Thursday.

Both teams have one more day of training and although they only have to declare their inactivity an hour and a half before the start of the match, we probably have an idea who will not be playing on Thursday evening.