After 6 days of camp at St. John Fisher University, the health of the Bills’ roster has become the main storyline. 11 players have been sidelined from practice. That’s a whole team by itself. Sean McDermott couldn’t reject the reality of the Bills’ situation. “It’s not ideal,” he said. And on day 6, yet another player almost made the list. First-round rookie CB Maxwell Hairston.

Hairston once said, “When I get on the field, I really turn into Mad Max.” Well, he almost got taken out of it. And the ‘Mad Max’ almost turned into a myth. On Tuesday, July 29th, the rookie appeared to have injured his right knee during a non-contact drill. After examination by the Bill’s medical staff, he had to leave. The wait for the medical report was excruciating for the Bills Mafia. There were even rumors circulating that he tore his ACL.

Fortunately, the injury was not that serious. Jordan Schultz took to X to give us the update, “Sources: #Bills first-round rookie CB Maxwell Hairston avoided serious injury after leaving yesterday’s practice with a non-contact knee issue. It’s believed to be a sprain, and he’s considered week-to-week. A major scare — but crisis averted for the talented young corner.” You can almost hear the sigh of relief from McDermott’s mouth. After all, the Bills made many changes to their defense this year, and Hairston, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash in the combine, will come to play a key role.

In the midst of an injury crisis, McDermott hasn’t publicly addressed Hairston’s close call. But ahead of padded training on Day 5, McDermott made it clear what he wanted from the players. “So that nastiness has to be developed here, but it can’t be at the expense of someone’s career. So clean, but physical,” he remarked. But still, there is an array of injuries at the Bills Camp.

Sean McDermott’s team of injuries

There’s a flood of injuries at St. John Fisher University. Currently, 11 players have been unable to join practice. The list, at the moment, reads: WR Elijah Moore, TE Dawson Knox, K Tyler Bass, WR Kaden Prather, WR Curtis Samuel, OT Spencer Brown, WR Tyrell Shavers, LB Terrel Bernard, C/G Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, LB Dorian Williams, OT Alec Anderson.

On Monday, Sean had to comment on the injury problem prevalent in Bill’s locker room. “So, you’re trying to move the team forward and develop, but it also allows an opportunity for us to see somebody step in and do the job. So, that’s just the nature of having the injuries that we do.”  The number of injuries raises serious concerns about the player’s conditioning, durability, and fitness.

If the Bills are facing an injury problem this early in their campaign, preseason not having started, how will they be able to ensure the physical condition of the players once the season starts? At this point, it’s no longer something you can chalk up as just part of the game. The player’s health is on the line. If the Bills want to see a successful run next season, they will need to keep the injuries to a minimum.