The tight end position is the latest to be bitten by the injury bug for the Bills. Rookie Derek Schouman, who earned his first NFL start last week at fullback unfortunately suffered a severe ankle sprain in the win over Cincinnati.
With the injury expected to take almost two months to heal, the team has decided to place the team's seventh-round pick on injured reserve with eight games to play. Schouman is now the tenth player to have his season end prematurely due to injury.
"It's like a high ankle sprain, but I think there was a little more involved," said head coach Dick Jauron. "Long term it's not going to be that serious. It's probably a lot like a high ankle sprain in terms of the length of the injury. We're talking about six or seven weeks down the road."
For Schouman it was a disappointing development after making steady progress through the course of the season.
"There's no good time to be injured, but it's a part of the game that happens to everybody," said Schouman. "I just feel really lucky that I was given the opportunity and I was able to get in and play a little bit."
"It's very disappointing for us and for him," said Jauron. "We thought he was going to be a good player and he's turning into a good player. He's learning how to play and we still believe he'll be a good player for us in the future."
Schouman did not make the 53-man roster at the beginning of the season instead being relegated to the team's practice squad. Following the release of defensive tackle Tim Anderson on Oct. 20, Schouman was promoted to the active roster.
"There is a little bright side in that I was able to progress, but to me there's a lot more downside to it because I was looking to improve more," said Schouman.
Murphy tears calf
The bad news didn't end there for Buffalo's tight ends. Matt Murphy, who was recently switched to offensive tackle, was back at tight end this week in the absence of Schouman, but pulled up in Thursday's practice.
"I tore my calf," said Murphy after making his way into the locker room on crutches. "It was towards the end of practice. No one touched me."
Murphy said he was in the process of heading out on a pass route when the injury occurred. The injury leaves Buffalo with three healthy tight ends for Sunday.
