BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The battered Bills defense will be without its captain Terrel Bernard for multiple weeks because of a pectoral injury the middle linebacker sustained during Thursday night's win at Miami, coach Sean McDermott said.
The team is still determining whether Bernard will be placed on injured reserve, McDermott told reporters on Friday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Bernard "could miss about a month" due to the pectoral strain.
"We're aware of the report," McDermott said. "We still have to have some internal conversations to determine if it's going to end up on the IR or not.
With All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano already on IR because of a biceps tendon tear, Bernard got hurt early in the 31-10 win against the Dolphins. Third-year linebacker Baylon Spector filled in for a defense that slowed down Miami's explosive offense.
Buffalo defensive back Taron Johnson, a second-team All-Pro selection last season, missed the game at Miami after injuring his forearm in the season-opening win against Arizona. The Bills have not placed Johnson on IR, indicating that he could return to action within the next four weeks.
"We're hoping it's a good thing that we deemed it not necessary to put him on IR," McDermott said. "It is important to take it one day at a time, because the injury is still new. Our hope is that it's prior to that four weeks that would garner the IR designation."
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.