ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Friday that defensive tackle Ed Oliver will miss this week’s game after suffering an injury in practice.
“It’s unfortunate, you know, things happen, come up through practice and he got stepped on, friendly fire type of deal,” McDermott said during his press conference. “It wasn’t intentional. It was normal practice and, unfortunately, he got stepped on. But an opportunity for somebody to step up early in the year here and show us what they’ve got.”
McDermott did not provide a timeline for Oliver’s return, leaving open the possibility that he could be available for Buffalo’s Thursday game next week. “I don’t know what that chance is at this point, but I’ll get more information in a few days,” he said.
The coach said the rest of the team will practice in some capacity Friday, with some players limited.
McDermott also talked about linebacker Terrel Bernard’s as a team leader. Bernard was selected by his teammates as one of the captains this season. He told reporters he never set out to be a leader, but simply focused on doing the right things.
“Sometimes people say, ‘Hey, I’m the leader.’ Why do you have to say it if you really are the leader, right?” McDermott said. “In TB’s case and in Josh’s case, for that matter, neither of them really go out of their way to talk about that”
The Buffalo Bills will take on the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Kickoff is at 1pm.