The Buffalo Bills’ defensive captain is expected to be available for Sunday’s playoff opener against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium.
After holding linebacker Terrel Bernard out of the regular season finale due to a calf issue, head coach Sean McDermott delivered positive news prior to the team’s Wednesday practice.
“He’ll be good to go. At this point, he’s good to go,” said McDermott.
Bernard was listed as a full participant for the walkthrough session on the week’s first official injury report. It’s an upgrade from the limited status he held last Friday. While ruling out Bernard for Week 18, McDermott noted that “he’s moving in the right direction,” and it appears that the head coach’s assessment was accurate.
Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) grabs and tackles New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Buffalo was without Bernard the last time it hosted a postseason game in Orchard Park. The defense’s green dot on-field communicator injured his ankle in last year’s wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, causing him to subsequently miss the AFC Divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The 25-year-old Bernard has become an important piece to the Bills’ defensive operation thanks to his quickness and instincts. The 2022 third-round draft pick missed two games in September with a pectoral issue and a minor ankle injury kept him out of the Week 8 win over Seattle.
Despite playing only 13 games, Bernard recorded more than 100 tackles for the second year in a row. He made five tackles-for-loss and picked off two passes.
With former All-Pro Matt Milano back to full health, too, the Bills will have their two starting linebackers when they battle the Bron
cos on January 12.
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