Veteran Bills DE to go to IR as wrist injury requires surgery

Buffalo Bills cornerback Davuan Smoot will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a wrist injury during his team’s Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins that will require surgery, head coach Sean McDermott said during his media availability on Monday.

McDermott also stated that he is optimistic that Smoot will be able to return this season, although he is not yet sure if he will ultimately be able to do so.

Smoot, a 29-year-old who signed a one-year contract with the Bills in May, left the team midway through Sunday’s game and left the game in the third quarter. In his short time at Orchard Park, he played an important role as a rotational safety on Buffalo’s defensive line, playing 213 defensive snaps over seven games while recording 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The veteran recorded seven pressures and six stops in his seven starts, per PFF.

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Smoot, when healthy, is quite comfortable as Buffalo’s third back behind Greg Russo and AJ Epenesa, regularly outplaying Casey Toohill and playing about the same number of snaps as Von Miller in games in which both were available. He brings a veteran presence and overall reliability to the line, and while the Bills’ defensive unit will likely be able to survive with the combination of Rousseau, Epenesa, Miller, Toohill and rookie Javon Solomon, Smoot’s absence will be felt.

Luckily for Buffalo, the news that Smoot will soon go on injured reserve came about 24 hours before the 2024 NFL trade deadline, meaning the team still has time to acquire a defensive lineman from outside the organization if it deems one step necessary. The team also has Kingsley Jonathan and Cameron Cline as potential candidates for the practice squad.

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