The Buffalo Bills won’t see emerging star Terrel Bernard return to the field for their Monday Night Football matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but could have him back soon afterward.
Bernard suffered a strained pectoral in the team’s win over the Miami Dolphins on September 12, with an initial projection from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he could miss up to a month. But Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared a more optimistic update on Bernard on September 21, saying the team’s defensive captain will likely avoid a trip to the injured reserve.
“Don’t know anything else right now,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “I don’t think so, but I can’t make that statement with 100% certainty right now. I feel like we won’t have to go that direction.”
Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino noted that it was an “encouraging update” on Bernard, even if McDermott could not yet say for certain that Bernard would avoid a trip to IR and at least four weeks out.
Bills Have Already Ruled Terrel Bernard Out
The Bills will be without Bernard when they face the Jaguars on Monday, with the chance to move to 3-0 and grab an early lead in the AFC East. McDermott told reporters earlier in the week that both Bernard and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson will miss the game.
Bernard earned the middle linebacker job after the departure of Tremaine Edmunds prior to the 2023 season. Bernard started all 17 games last season, making 143 total tackles with 6.5 sacks and three interceptions.
The Bills had a rather long injury report this week, with defensive ends Dawuane Smoot, Javon Solomon and Casey Toohill all being listed as limited. The Bills had injuries on offense as well, though all were full participants in practice. Quarterbacks Josh Allen and Mitch Trubisky were listed on the final report along with running back Ty Johnson and tight end Quintin Morris.
The team suffered one of the biggest injury setbacks before the season started, losing linebacker Matt Milano to a torn pectoral suffered during training camp. Milano missed the majority of the 2023 season after suffering a leg fracture.
The Bills could get a bit of a break on defense on Monday night as Jaguars tight end Evan Engram has also been ruled out.
Bills Turn to Little-Used Linebacker
With Bernard out, McDermott said the team is prepared to turn to reserve Baylon Spector to start. The Bills head coach shared some praise for the way he filled in during last week’s win over the Dolphins.
“[I’ve seen] him being him,” McDermott told reporters, via SI.com’s Kyle Silagyi. “Nothing really, honestly, that’s any different than what he’s done before, and it’s important that he just plays his game and doesn’t try to do too much and does his job just like all of us.”
Baylon Spector needed a play or two adjust after replacing Terrel Bernard as #Bills middle linebacker. He would have preferred a week’s worth of reps before jumping in. Now he’s getting them ahead of his first regular-season start.
Bills’ Baylon Spector enjoying a week of preparation after being thrown into the mix against Miami
Silagyi noted that the start could be a tall task for Spector, the 25-year-old linebacker who played mostly on special teams through his first two seasons with the Bills.
“Replacing a team captain and defensive green dot wearer is a tall task for any player, the challenge only amplified when the individual in question is a 25-year-old who entered his third professional season with just 55 career defensive snaps under his belt,” Silagyi wrote.
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