Coleman is out, but Amari Cooper is improving
Just 24 hours after the Buffalo Bills won their fifth-straight game to bring their record to 8-2 for the first time since 1993, head coach Sean McDermott announced that they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs without rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman.
On Monday, McDermott ruled Coleman out for the much-anticipated Week 11 showdown with the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.
Sean McDermott has ruled out wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) November 11, 2024
Coleman, who was injured in the final minutes as the Bills beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, missed his first game on Sunday. Last week, McDermott said that he anticipated the rookie missing multiple weeks with a wrist injury he suffered when Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer’s helmet slammed into his hand.
McDermott did say he thought they would be able to avoid placing Coleman on Injured Reserve, which may be a product of the Bills having a Week 12 bye.
Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
In Monday afternoon’s press conference, McDermott also said that wide receiver Amari Cooper (also sidelined with a wrist injury) was improving and that they would see how he progresses throughout the week before making a decision about his availability on Sunday.
McDermott admitted that he wasn’t sure what exactly it would take to get Buffalo’s newest receiver back on the field, saying that a portion of that decision centers around pain management.
Sean McDermott says he’s not exactly sure what the next step Amari Cooper needs to take to return to game action after being limited in practice the last few weeks.
McD does note that some of it is pain tolerance with wrist injury.#Bills
— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) November 11, 2024
Reggie Gilliam is in a similar situation as Cooper. The only fullback on Buffalo’s roster has missed two straight games with a hip injury and is now listed among the “improving” players. However, McDermott isn’t going to make any assumptions for Gilliam’s Week 11 availability — saying that they’ll see “how he does” throughout the week.
Injured during Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts were tight end Dalton Kincaid and right tackle Spencer Brown. Kincaid suffered a knee injury, and while he tried to keep himself in the game, Kincaid eventually had to spend the final quarter and a half on the sideline.
As for Brown, he rolled his ankle in the second half and, after missing a few plays while he had it wrapped on the sideline, returned to the game. Now, McDermott said that training staff will continue to monitor both Kincaid and Brown over the next few days before making any conclusions about whether they will play this week.
The Bills will practice today (Wednesday), and it’s likely that we won’t know anything more about the health of the roster until after that — if even then, after all, McDermott likes to stay as close-lipped as the league allows in regard to the injuries at One Bills Drive.