Bills' Injury List Grows at Monday's Training Camp Practice

Early in camp, the Buffalo Bills were able to survive a major injury scare. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson had to be carted off the practice field with a leg injury, but it was later revealed to be a calf strain and nothing major.

Gardner-Johnson has since returned and Go Long’s Tyler Dunne suggested a new approach from rookie head coach Joe Brady should be applauded. The positive news surrounding Gardner-Johnson reminded Dunne that Brady was leaning into the sports science department in an effort to minimize injuries.

"The Bills haven’t suffered the injuries of other teams across the league. As promised, Brady is leaning into his sports science department. While the data’s always been in the system on how best to incorporate various practice strategies to mitigate injuries, that data wasn’t always put to use years past," Dunne wrote.

Unfortunately, for Buffalo, there have been several more injuries since then. The Bills had three players suffer some form of injury during their Return of the Blue & Red scrimmage, including Ty Johnson, Connor McGovern, and Cole Bishop.

Injury list grows on Monday

Bills Ty Johnson runs through a gauntlet drill during Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After taking Sunday off, the Bills were back at practice on Monday. One thing that stood out during the latest session is how many players were not participating.

According to Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com, eight players were missing including the three who were injured on Saturday.

Ty Johnson, RB
Skyler Bell, WR
Ja’Mori Maclin, WR
Connor McGovern, C
Zane Durant, DT
Maxwell Hairston, CB
DJ Miller, CB
Cole Bishop, S

As Parrino noted, Johnson was out there with a sleeve on his leg but eventually left practice altogether.

Buffalo’s front office has been quiet, giving very little information on each player. That said, the McGovern injury has the chance to be the most impactful given his importance to this offensive line.

Rookie Skyler Bell has the most to lose, however, as he’s in the middle of a battle for his spot in a crowded wide receiver room. As for Cole Bishop and Maxwell Hairston, their injury history is a cause for concern with both players struggling with durability early in their respective careers.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson goes down again

Bills defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson pulls in a pass during position drills during Buffalo Bills training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Buffalo let out a sigh of relief when C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s calf strain proved to be minor. Monday, they began holding their breath once again.

Gardner-Johnson made a diving play to break up a pass and stayed down for a spell. He eventually left the field on his own power, but was limping and was checked out by trainers.

The veteran safety has been one of the best defenders at Bills camp, and with Bishop already banged up, the Bills have to be concerned.

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