Linebacker Terrel Bernard’s pectoral injury is not season ending.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott confirmed what was reported earlier Friday: Bernard will miss multiple weeks with a strain.
The Bills continue to discuss whether to put Bernard on injured reserve, though that seems likely.
“Unfortunately, he’s going to be out multiple weeks,” McDermott said, via Chris Brown of the Bills Radio Network. “We’re talking about whether or not it’s an IR conducive type of situation or not. I’m aware of the report, and we still have some internal conversations that we have to have to determine if it’s going to end up in IR or not.”
Bernard played 14 of Buffalo’s defensive snaps Thursday night before leaving with his injury. The team captain has 13 total tackles this season.
McDermott said he “would anticipate” Baylon Spector starting in Bernard’s stead. Spector played 62 snaps and totaled 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the win over the Dolphins.
The Bills did not need another injury at the position, with Matt Milano out after tearing his biceps in August.
All things considered, there’s relatively positive injury news on linebacker Terrel Bernard.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Bernard suffered a strained pectoral during Thursday’s win over the Dolphins. While he is a candidate to go on injured reserve, Bernard is expected to miss only about a month and not the rest of the season.
Bernard was on the field for 14 of Buffalo’s defensive snaps on Thursday night before he had to exit the contest.
Through two games in 2024, he’s recorded 13 total tackles.
Buffalo’s depth at linebacker is already being heavily tested, as fellow linebacker Matt Milano suffered a torn biceps in August.
In the aftermath of Tua Tagovailoa suffering another concussion during Thursday night’s matchup with the Bills, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel refused to offer a timeline for the quarterback’s return while saying he thinks Tagovailoa is unlikely to play next week in a Friday morning video conference.
McDaniel was adamant that he did not want to add any anxiety to Tagovailoa by discussing anything about his career going forward. McDaniel said several times that the most important thing for Tagovailoa right now is to focus on getting healthy and being a father to his children.
But after acknowledging that the most important people in the equation are Tagovailoa himself and the doctors — and that he hasn’t received any definitive information from either to this point — McDaniel admitted it’s hard to think Tagovailoa will be on the field to take on Seattle in Week 3.
“If I’m a betting man ... I don’t see how he would play the next game. I don’t see it,” McDaniel said. “But who am I to know or judge? But I think it’s a fair assessment to be prepared to have three quarterbacks on our roster for the next game, that we need to add one for that game. But, again, I have no idea. And I am not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that aren’t in — I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of those.”
When asked whether or not he views it as realistic that Tagovailoa could consider retirement, McDaniel said, “I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject.”
"[Y]ou’re talking about this career, right? His career is his. You know?” McDaniel said. “And that’s something that I think, I just really, really, really wish — I totally understand [the question], and it’s not misplaced. I totally get how that’s where people want to go to. I just wish people would, for a second, hear what I’m saying — that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him. So I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care, that should be the last thing on your mind.
"[I]f I were to answer that question, I’d be like, alright, this is my thoughts on his career. And he read it. If he agreed with it or disagreed with it, either way, I’ve just made him worse. ... I don’t think it’s appropriate simply for my care and regard, and I don’t think those types of conversations when you’re talking about someone’s career — I think it probably is only fair that their career should be decided by them.”
While McDaniel said he feels Tagovailoa is unlikely to play next week, he did not say whether or not he thinks Tagovailoa will be placed on injured reserve. Part of that is because McDaniel hadn’t yet spoken to Tagovailoa on Friday and the quarterback had not undergone any next-day examination.
“His opinion and what he wants to do with his life and his career coupled with the experts in neuroscience — those are the driving forces behind those actions,” McDaniel said. “I’m not hiding anything. I’m being as transparent as I absolutely could [be], I have zero idea what any sort of timeline is.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared of every situation. And that’s all I want to do or we should do, just because I’m not going to rush to judgment way prematurely. ... Literally, all I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad, be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. So, there won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard and how long he’ll [be out] … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Still, it’s personally tough for McDaniel to witness Tagovailoa going through another concussion given the close nature of their relationship.
“As I look at it, Tua is a family member of mine,” McDaniel said. “So when family is going through something, you know how it is — you’re trying to think about a ton of different stuff that people are counting on me to think about. So, not easy.”
The Bills remade the back end of their defense this offseason and they were down another defensive back on Thursday night due to Taron Johnson’s forearm injury, but the new faces looked pretty good in Miami on Thursday night.
Interceptions ended two of the first three Dolphins drives and cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram made it three picks in the third quarter. It was the second of the night for Ingram and returned that one 31 yards for a touchdown that all but ended the competitive portion of the 31-10 Bills win.
Ingram said he felt like the ball “fell right out the sky,” but being in the right place at the right time is rarely an accident on a football field and head coach Sean McDermott said it was a result of the effort that the 2022 undrafted free agent has made since joining the Bills.
“Ja’Marcus comes in again, gets another big play for us, and that’s great to see. And these guys work hard, you know, so good things happen when you work hard. And sometimes the ball finds you like that,” McDermott said, via the team’s website.
The Bills had a rocky start to the season against the Cardinals, but they settled down in the second half of that game and were firing on all cylinders Thursday night, so it looks like the revamped defense is in the right groove.
There was no clearer sign that it was running back James Cook’s night to shine than the play the Bills called from the 1-yard-line midway through the second quarter on Thursday night.
Quarterback Josh Allen is usually called on to sneak the ball into the end zone, but the Bills opted to give the ball to the Miami native and he plunged in for his second touchdown of the game. Cook added a third on a 49-yard run later in the first half and he posted 95 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches before the night was out.
Cook had 103 yards in the opener and head coach Sean McDermott said after the 31-10 win that the arrow keeps pointing up for the third-year player.
“James just continues to grow and get better. He was one of our captains tonight, and it’s well deserved, right? So he’s from here, and I know it was important for him to play well,” McDermott said, via the team’s website.
Cook became a major part of Buffalo’s offensive attack last year and the first two weeks of this season suggest he’s going to be playing an even bigger role moving forward.