Bills defensive end Joey Bosa is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
Bosa went down in Buffalo’s Week 13 victory over the Steelers. The team hopes he only misses a game or two, but an extended absence is possible. It seems likely that Bosa will miss the Bills’ next game against the Bengals after he was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice. He is also dealing with a wrist injury, per the team’s official injury report.
Bosa’s absence could be a significant loss for the Bills. He leads the team with five sacks – no other player has more than three – and eight tackles for loss. Those numbers represent somewhat of a resurgence for Bosa after he only managed five sacks and five tackles for loss in 14 games last season. Bosa’s bounce-back campaign is also reflected in his stats and grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His 41 pressures, 16.0% pass rush win rate and 90.1 pass rushing grade all lead the Bills; the last number ranks fifth among all NFL edge rushers.
Rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders will likely see more time at defensive end in Bosa’s absence, though he has been part of that rotation for the last several weeks. The second-round pick did not typically line up off the edge in college, but his athleticism makes it feasible in Buffalo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. In fact, two of Sanders’ last three games have featured his best PFF grades of the year. In those matchups, he lined up just once as a defensive tackle with 37 snaps at defensive end.
2024 fifth-rounder Javon Solomon, who has primarily featured on special teams this year, should also see an uptick in defense playing time. Buffalo may also consider calling up one of their three practice squad defensive ends – Morgan Fox, Andre Jones, and Shaq Lawson, but none have seen any in-game action this year. One could replace Bosa on the game day roster, but Sanders and Solomon will likely take on the lion’s share of the available snaps.
The Bills’ optimism about Bosa’s return timeline indicates that he is not a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, which would mandate a four-week absence not only from games, but also from practices.