Buffalo Bills pass rusher needs surgery, going on IR after wrist injury vs. Dolphins

Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills took another hit on their defensive line on Sunday when defensive end Dawuane Smoot sustained a wrist injury in a 30-27 win over the Miami Dolphins.
On Monday, Bills coach Sean McDermott said that Smoot’s injury would require surgery and that he would go on injured reserve. Buffalo’s coach hopes Smoot can return this season, but there will be unknowns until all the post-surgery details are known.
Buffalo Bills TV schedule 2024: How to watch free live streams today
The Bills are already without rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, who had wrist surgery two weeks ago and is currently on injured reserve.
After signing as a free agent in the offseason, Smoot has played in seven games (four starts) in his first season with the Bills. He played his first seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and quickly found an important role on Buffalo’s defense.
Smoot calls the game on third down. Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver said earlier this season that Smoot’s awareness and ability to get everybody lined up presnap on third down has been a massive addition to Buffalo’s defense. When Smoot missed two games early in the season with a groin injury, the Bills missed his presence. When he’s been in the lineup, Smoot is playing 48% of the snaps and offers defensive coordinator Bobby Babich some options with his versatility. He can play on the edge or push inside to rush from the tackle spot.
“Smoot has been an awesome addition,” Babich said on Monday. “He’s a very good football player. He’s a little bit throwback in the way he plays. He’s extremely intense. He’s extremely physical. … kind of a tone setter, if you will. And, and it’s been crucial. And then his veteran presence has been really good in the defensive line room. Extremely intelligent player, understands the scheme, communicates well.”
Without Smoot and Carter for the foreseeable future, McDermott said it will be another opportunity for players to step up. Defensive tackle Eli Ankou has played in the last two games in place of Carter. Ankou played more snaps than veteran Austin Johnson against the Dolphins as the Bills tried to deal with Miami’s strong run game. Buffalo signed rookie defensive tackle Zion Logue off Atlanta’s practice squad last month. He’s played in two games for the Bills but has been inactive for the last two games.
The Bills could add another defensive lineman at the NFL’s Tuesday trade deadline if general manager Brandon Beane needs somebody from outside the building. Babich said the plan to replace Smoot could be a week-by-week deal.
“There’s a couple different options, a couple different ways we can go,” he said. “But that’s definitely something that’s got to be addressed at this point. And just moving forward, and we’ve already had this contingency before. Maybe that’s the right contingency. Maybe it’s not. But fortunately, we have a little bit of time here before we play on Sunday (against the Indianapolis Colt) to kind of carve out what that might be. … It could be different plan each week on how we want to attack that. We’ll see how it goes.”
McDermott said that there is an ongoing evaluation of wide receiver Keon Coleman’s injury situation. The rookie sustained a wrist/hand injury in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins. Check back for more updates on Coleman’s injury status.