By: Carter Feraldi
9/3/2025
Bio: My name is Carter Feraldi, and I am a senior Communication major and a cognate in Business Marketing at the University of South Carolina Aiken with a passion for sports and am looking for a career in the sports world. My family and I are from the Buffalo, NY area and I am a die-hard Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan. I hope this helps show insight into the passion and frustrations I follow as a fan.
Buffalo Bills Season Overview
The Buffalo Bills are heading into the 2025-2026 season with high expectations. The previous season they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game against their playoff kryptonite in the Kansas City Chiefs (aka Kansas City Cheats). The season is also gaining some national spotlight following the production and filming of the popular preseason show “Hard Knocks” where the team was followed all of training camp and preseason.
While injuries are a part of the game, the past has shown that the Bills are cursed when it comes to timely injuries to important players. The past two playoff games against the Chiefs have shown this. In the 2023 playoffs, both starting linebackers of Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano were sidelined during the AFC Divisional Game being replaced by a fossil in AJ Klien and a rookie Dorian Williams. Last season, Christian Benford went down with a head injury early into the AFC Championship Game being replaced by possibly the worst cornerback I have ever seen play the position in Kaiir Elam. Not to mention the countless other injuries to star players throughout the regular season that caused the team to drop games.
The team heads into the season with a bunch of question marks in many positions following injuries to multiple position groups. Hopefully football gods are on our side this season and bless the Bills with few injuries, but as the season opens its not looking too bright.
Is Defense the Concern?
To open the season, injuries on defense are my main priority of concern. The Buffalo Bills posted their first injury report of the season leading up to their Week 1 matchup against the Ravens. There were many concerning players that were listed, and the major ones came from the defensive side of the ball. The two that stand out the most are both starting cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford. White (Groin) did not practice today, while Benford (Groin) was limited at practice and participated in noncontact drills. Another player listed is DT Da’Wayne Carter who tore his achilles in practice early in the week. It is very concerning to the defense its not only losing your two starting corners but it’s also a depth issue which has been a concern all offseason.
If the football gods are really that evil and sideline both during the first game of the season, the two to fill in for them are second year Ja’Marcus Ingram and rookie Dorian Strong. Both players have stood out in training camp and preseason, but both are untested in NFL play, especially against a formidable opponent in the Ravens. While I am concerned on cornerbacks, my focus shifts to the trenches following the achilles injury to Da’Wayne Carter. Carter was not a starter, but McDermott’s defense relies on rotating defensive tackles. With the injury, the pressure is going to fall onto the shoulders of rookie DT’s Deone Carter and T.J. Sanders. Brandon Beane must share the same concerns by signing former Bill and veteran Jordan Phillips to the practice squad for some added depth at the position.
The main position group on defense that I am worried about is the safety position. Taylor Rapp is a starting lock who is known himself to have injury concerns while also obliterating his own players. Outside of him, the second safety position is up in the air, mainly due to depth and injuries. Cole Bishop is the second in line and has shown flashes in NFL games, but himself has been held back by injuries, especially this preseason. Damar Hamlin is another with injury concerns where this training camp and preseason he has had minor injuries and has not looked healthy on the field. The last to fill the safety position who has made the 53-man roster is Jordan Hancock who is a rookie who has showed flashes, but is unproven. Beane must show the same concerns as all the fans by signing Jordan Poyer, who spent one season with the Miami Dolphins (but maybe Beane saved him from that filth).
Defense will always be my concern as a fan because as every Bills fan knows, as long as you have Josh Allen at the helm, he will make magic. I do believe that our defense has a ton of talent and McDermott has a great defensive mind, but as of now the holes on the defense are concerning and until I am proven wrong, I will have doubts.
Do Injuries Hold Back the Offense?
Do not let the injuries on defense glimpse over the fact that there are some questionable injury concerns on offense. After last season and Josh Allen showed the world he does not need a true number one receiver to dominate the game, people tend to not be concerned about injuries to wide receivers. While I tend to fall into that, this week’s injury report and Beane making another signing to the practice squad has concerned me.
This week’s injury report featured two names for starting receivers in Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. Coleman (Groin) was limited in practice and participated in noncontact drills with the team. Shakir (ankle) has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain since August 1st which he suffered during the Buffalo Bills Blue & Red game. Shakir was a full participant during practice wearing full pads and engaging in contact drills.
While the two listed on the injury report sound more positive than negative, there is still room for concern, and I am not the only one feeling it. The Bills just recently signed WR Gabe Davis, who is a former Buffalo Bill, to the practice squad. Davis himself is also recovering from a meniscus tear from his time in Jacksonville. While everyone is viewing this as a waste of a practice squad signing or a nostalgic homecoming, I am viewing this as a concern of health to the wide receiver room.
As long as Josh Allen does not go down at all this year I am not as worried, however any and all injuries concern me and any injury to the offense just makes Josh’s job harder. I am still very confident in this offense because of the people we have surrounding Josh.
Conclusion
To conclude this, injuries are a part of football, and I tend to overreact to a lot of news I hear. I do believe that some of the players listed will play in Week 1and hopefully by week 5 the Max Hairston will be back and fit right into the scheme. This team has the ability to win the Super Bowl with talent on both sides of the ball. Let’s just hope that the football gods are getting our injuries out of the way now rather than in the playoffs.
Be Good. Do good. God Bless. Go Bills
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