The cornerback contingent for the Bills was already thinned with the hamstring injury suffered by veteran Terrence McGee in Week 1. Rookie Aaron Williams was the latest to go down Sunday against the Patriots and will not be back in the lineup for the next month.
"Aaron is going to be a while," said head coach Chan Gailey. "It's not season-ending, but it's going to be a while."
Williams was injured on a 3rd-and-6 play late in the third quarter when he and Leodis McKelvin collided as they both pursued Wes Welker on a catch over the middle from different directions. Williams bounced off McKelvin and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder. He began rolling around in obvious pain and was taken off the field on a stretcher.
When asked if the injury was related to Williams' collar bone Gailey indicated that it was.
"It's that area," Gailey said. "I think they're going to say collar bone. I don't know if it's a break, strain, separation, but it's bad enough to keep him out a few weeks."
A few weeks will likely keep Williams sidelined until Buffalo's bye week in Week 7, meaning he may not return to action until the Bills' Week 8 matchup against Washington at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
With Williams out of the lineup Buffalo is now down to four healthy cornerbacks as Gailey said that McGee will not be available for this week's game with his hamstring injury not fully healed.
"It leaves us thin there," said Gailey. "Justin Rogers has to come on and has got to get ready to go."
Rogers was one of two seventh-round picks by the Bills this past spring and showed well late in the preseason. The University of Richmond product was inactive this past Sunday.
Buffalo also has a pair of cornerbacks on their practice squad in Terrence Wheatley and undrafted rookie Doyle Miller. Wheatley has appeared in 12 NFL games in his four-year career, 11 of which were with New England as he is a former second-round pick of the Patriots (2008).
LB White also sidelinedBuffalo will also be without another member of their 2011 draft class for the foreseeable future as LB Chris White suffered an injury Sunday as well.
"Chris White it looks like he'll miss a few weeks," said Gailey. "He pulled a hamstring."
While Terrence McGee is not ready to return there are three Bills that missed Sunday's game that could be ready to return this week for Buffalo's game at Cincinnati.
Linebacker Kirk Morrison (hamstring), defensive tackle Torell Troup (lower back) and Kraig Urbik (knee) all have a chance to make it back and be available for Sunday's game according to Gailey.
