Tuesday, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave updates on several players who are dealing with injuries as the team heads into the bye week with a 4-2 record.
Here's what we learned.
Two players listed "week-to-week"
DT DaQuan Jones is week-to-week with a calf injury that he suffered during pregame warm-ups prior to Monday's game in Atlanta. In his postgame press conference, McDermott shared that Jones "popped his calf" in warm-ups and did not play in the game.
He followed up Tuesday afternoon, listing the veteran as week-to-week going into the bye.
WR Joshua Palmer is also week-to-week with an ankle injury suffered in the first half. Palmer had two receptions for 60 yards against the Falcons but left the game following his second catch after coming down awkwardly to the ground. Palmer went into the blue medical tent and was ruled out at the start of the third quarter.
Four players listed "day-to-day"
Some good news on the injury front is that it appears the injuries to LB Terrel Bernard and CB Christian Benford are not serious.
Bernard left the Atlanta game with an ankle injury and was seen on the sideline in the second half in uniform but without a helmet. He is listed as day-to-day. Benford briefly left the game with an Achilles injury and returned to the field in the second half; it's further encouraging news that McDermott did not specifically mention the corner's name during his injury update.
LB Matt Milano (pectoral), TE Dalton Kincaid (oblique) and WR Curtis Samuel (neck/ribs) are also listed as day-to-day with Bernard and considered to be improving. Kincaid was a limited practice participant all of Week 6.
Two suspended players set to return
The Bills will get back DE Michael Hoecht and DT Larry Ogunjobi in the lineup Week 7 after serving their six-game suspension.
Buffalo has 50 of 53 active roster spots filled, meaning once the team places Hoecht and Ogunjobi on the active roster after the bye, they will still have one open roster spot.
"It'll be good to get these two guys back in the mix, with the injuries that we have in particular," McDermott said. "We'll see how it all unfolds, right? Who's available, who's not. We won't really know until we get back going a little bit next week… but it certainly will help in terms of numbers and guys who have played."
CB Maxwell Hairston nears return to practice
McDermott gave an encouraging update on rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston who has been on injured reserve to begin the season with a knee injury.
"He continues to head in the right direction, and there's a chance that we'll open up his practice window in the coming week," McDermott said.
After electing not to open the 21-day practice window in Week 5 or 6, McDermott believes it's possible Hairston can return to the practice field after the bye but did not commit to it. He was optimistic, however, that it will happen this season.
"Let's just go out there and take it one day at a time and when we do open up the window and it's not going to be perfect, and he's got to understand that, and we have to understand that," McDermott said.
The Bills are still tempering expectations on when Hairston will be active on game day as the rookie hasn't practice with the team since the first week of training camp nearly three months ago.
"I think the biggest thing, honestly, for Max is managing expectations when you miss all that time in training camp, mentally, physically — the playbook, and then the physical part and the ramp up of training camp and preseason games, and then the start of the season. So just trying to be realistic with it, manage expectations," McDermott said.
