Getty Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones at Ford Field on November 24, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills are back home after their devastating 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. While the Bills (3-2) will look to rebound against the New York Giants (1-4) in Week 6, they must do so without defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed during a press conference on Monday, October 9, that Jones, who tore his pectoral muscle on the fourth play of the game against the Jaguars on Sunday, will require surgery.
While McDermott stopped short of saying that Jones is done for year, the veteran tackle, who was on his way to All-Pro season, will be out for the foreseeable future.
You can see DaQuan Jones grab his right pec on this play:
McDermott added ‘it doesn’t look good’ after the game
The Buffalo News reported, “Fully torn pectoral muscles often take three to four months’ recovery time,” which seems to strongly indicate that the Penn State alum will not be suiting up again for the 2023 NFL season.
Jones earned an impressive 90.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance throughout the first four games of the season, recording 2.5 sacks and 6.0 tackles.
Our dude @RiDQulous_98 is on fire at the moment! 🔥
PRP (Pass Rush Productivity)* is one of my top stats for gauging pressure. Jones is crushing it with a PRP of 12.5 over 4 games:
IDL: Leading the pack #1 🥇 | Among all DL/LB: #7
*(A formula that combines sacks, hits and…
The Athletic wrote, “Jones has been a bit of an undercover superstar for the Bills this season. He came into the game leading the Bills in quarterback pressures. He and Ed Oliver are a major reason the Bills have been able to generate so much pressure from the interior of the defensive line.”
Losing the 6-foot-4, 320-pound tackle is obviously a devastating blow for Buffalo’s defense. It’s also a tough setback for the 31-year-old tackle, whose $14 million contract with the Bills expires after this season.
Matt Milano Will Also Require Surgery
GettyMatt Milano is carted off the field after at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 8, 2023.
McDermott confirmed on Monday that Bills All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, who suffered a fracture leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, would also require surgery. Similar with Jones, he did not provide a timetable on Milano’s possible return, or officially rule the linebacker out for the season.
The 29-year-old was carted off toward the locker room, per GMFB’s Jamie Erdahl, and taken to get X-rays. While it wasn’t captured on camera by NFL Network’s broadcast in London, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted on Sunday, “Milano had a full cast on his leg from his shin to his thigh, indicative of a potentially major injury.”
A few hours later, Rapoport shared another update, confirming Bills Mafia’s worst fears. The league insider posted, “Milano suffered a fractured leg and is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury in today’s loss, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. They are checking on the ACL. MRI coming, but missing the rest of the season is likely.”
With All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White already done for the season after suffering an Achilles tear against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, and Milano and Jones out indefinitely — it’s a true gut punch for the Bills’ Super Bowl aspirations this season.
The Bills Defense Will Hopefully Get Some Key Players Back for Week 6
Final from London. 💔
The Bills defense as a whole was heavily depleted against the Jaguars before Milano and Jones exited the game, as Greg Rousseau (foot), Shaq Lawson (toe) and Christian Benford (shoulder) were already ruled out. While superstar Von Miller was cleared to return, he’s on a pitch count and only participated in one snap.
McDermott said both Rousseau, Lawson and Benford are improving and are considered day-to-day leading into Week 6. If those three are ready to go next week, and Miller is able to take a larger share of the snaps, the Bills defense will get a huge boost.
With Jones out, the Bills will likely look toward Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle to step up. As for Milano’s replacement, Buffalo first utilized Dorian Williams, the Bills third-round pick from the 2023 NFL draft. But after the rookie struggled with a few missed tackles against the Jaguars, he was replaced by Tyrel Dodson.