ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills face the prospect of limping into the regular season with a mounting number of injured players, who now include receivers Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, safety Damar Hamlin and backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Coach Sean McDermott on Monday listed all four as being week-to-week. McDermott declined to specify which players in saying there is concern some are in jeopardy of missing the season opener against Arizona on Sept. 8.
Samuel is out with a turf toe injury and Hamlin out with a hamstring injury both suffered last week. Valdes-Scantling (neck) and Trubisky (knee) were hurt in a 9-3 preseason win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The injuries affect key players for the four-time defending AFC East champions, who were already breaking in a number of new starters at numerous positions after an offseason salary cap-forced overhaul. Buffalo opened training camp with 43 newcomers and just 11 players left from 2020.
And the injuries come on the heels of starting linebacker Matt Milano expected to miss at least the first few months of the season after he tore his left bicep in practice last week.
McDermott expressed such concern over the rash of injuries that he has already decided to sit all of his projected starters for Buffalo’s preseason finale against Carolina on Saturday, while also cutting back on practice time this week.
“It’s a challenge, but we’ll find our way through it,” McDermott said. “Right now, we’ve got to be solution-oriented.”
Samuel and Valdes-Scantling were veteran offseason free-agent additions brought in to be part of Buffalo’s new-look receiver group in the wake of the Bills trading their top threat Stefon Diggs to Houston and losing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. That group also included Chase Claypool, who was released upon reaching an injury settlement last week, and after missing a majority of training camp with a toe injury.
Trubisky’s injury leads to Buffalo being in the market for a quarterback for a second straight week — though this time it’s to be Josh Allen’s primary backup. Last week, the Bills signed Ben DiNucci to take over the third-string role after Shane Buechele hurt his neck in a preseason-opening loss to Chicago.
Hamlin (Pitt, Central Catholic) was competing for a starting job at a position already depleted by injury with veteran free-agent addition Mike Edwards (hamstring) and rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop (shoulder) both missing a majority of training camp. McDermott said Edwards and Bishop are both expected to be eased into practice this week.
Also scheduled to resume practicing is veteran linebacker Nicholas Morrow, who has missed extensive time with an ankle injury.
