This is a major setback for the Buffalo Bills.

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The Buffalo Bills faced an early setback in their season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals when nickel cornerback Taron Johnson suffered an arm injury and was ruled out.

Now, they will face more adversity as Johnson was ruled out of the team’s upcoming game against division rival Miami Dolphins. The Bills travel to Miami for a Thursday Night Football showdown and will be without one of the top members of their secondary.

Bills Staring at Potentially ‘Crushing Injury’

Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced Johnson’s status on Monday, saying the team could not yet determine how much time he might miss.

“With Taron, I don’t know his timeline on when he’ll be back….we’re still doing further research on that,” McDermott said, via reporter Matt Bove.

The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia wrote that a long-term injury to Johnson would be “crushing,” noting that star linebacker Matt Milano has already been placed on injured reserve with a torn bicep. Johnson was hurt just seven snaps into the team’s 34-28 win over the Cardinals on September 8, with the team announcing just after halftime that he would not be able to return.

Buscaglia wrote that the quick determination of the severity of Johnson’s injury was a bad sign for the team.

“Although they first labeled Johnson as questionable to return, the team announced just after halftime that the nickel would not return to the game,” Buscaglia wrote. “That relatively quick rule-out is not a promising sign, especially with a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game for Week 2. The Bills will have to keep their fingers crossed that this isn’t an extended absence for Johnson.”

Buscaglia wrote that the team was likely already working on contingency plans, even before the official announcement. He noted that versatile Cam Lewis filled in as nickel cornerback and would likely start against the Dolphins if Johnson can’t take the field.

“There’s little doubt that Lewis will be the starting nickel corner for as long as Johnson is sidelined, but it does raise the question of how much the team will commit to nickel in all situations without their point man in Johnson,” he wrote. “Johnson is the reason they switched to it in the first place in 2021. Should Lewis suffer an injury, their next move would likely be to put Ja’Marcus Ingram in at nickel.”

Good News for the Bills

After some early defensive struggles against the Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray, the Bills clamped down in the second half and made a number of key stops.

The team does have some bright spots despite the injury to Johnson, including the play of pass-rusher Greg Rousseau, who had three sacks to tie the franchise record for a season opener. Reporter Anthony Miller of SI.com called Rousseau the team’s MVP of the game.

“While Murray was able to pop off some nice runs and scamper around the Bills’ defense, Rousseau was consistently able to pressure the veteran, even at times when the general pass rush struggled,” Miller wrote. “The fourth-year player finished the game with three sacks, including a strip sack that set up a Khalil Shakir touchdown in the third quarter. It was an incredibly impressive and promising outing for a 24-year-old who is eager to take the next step in his development and establish himself as a household name this season.”