Bills vs. Cardinals, NFL Week 1 2024: Early Injury Report Looks Promising

The Buffalo Bills are hard at work preparing for their first game of the 2024 NFL season when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. We have the first official injury report of the year — and it’s a lot better than it looked in preseason.

Head coach Sean McDermott spoke to the media before practice Wednesday afternoon and quickly addressed the injury situation at One Bills Drive. McDermott mentioned only one player who did not participate in practice. Rookie defensive end Javon Solomon, who had left the second preseason game with a calf injury, was sidelined with an oblique injury.

Good news for the Bills was that wide receiver Curtis Samuel would participate fully in Wednesday’s practice, as would safety Cole Bishop and tight end Quintin Morris.

“We’re excited to see him in practice today and then tomorrow and in the game,” McDermott said of getting Samuel back to practice with the offense. He went on to admit that the Bills will spend the first few weeks of the season learning about their team and how all the pieces fit together, due to injuries causing a lack of time together in the summer.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has been moving a little more and was a limited participant in the first practice of the season. The 30-year-old, who is in his second stint with the Bills, injured his knee in the same game that Solomon was originally injured. While the injury sent waves of fear through the Bills Mafia, Buffalo’s coaching staff has never shied away from claiming Trubisky would be ready in “a couple of weeks” and not placing him on Injured Reserve.

“Not sure about Mitch yet. We’ll see today,” McDermott, however, wasn’t ready to say Trubisky’s “couple of weeks” were up. “He’s going to be limited, so I think we’re just taking it day by day.”

If Trubisky can’t use the pads on Sunday, the Bills do have former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White on the practice squad.

“The biggest thing for our team is just to have a normal week,” McDermott said of the key to a positive start to the season for the Bills to just take care of business. “I know it’s the first week, there’s a lot of energy, it’s a home opener — season opener, and that’s going to be awesome. It’s important that we stay calm and manage our energy at the same time so we can execute.”