Bills Get Encouraging DJ Moore Return Prediction From Injury Expert

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An independent injury expert offers an encouraging prediction for when Bills wide receiver DJ Moore could return from his shoulder injury.

The Bills offense for the second week in a row put up more than 35 points while the defense allowed more than 30, as Buffalo got past the Detroit Lions 41-31 on Thursday Night Football last night.

But the victory came with a potentially high price, as nine-year veteran wide receiver DJ Moore, in only his second game for the Bills, was forced to exit with a shoulder injury.

According to a prominent sports injury expert, however, Moore is facing a shoulder diagnosis that leaves a Week 3 date with the Los Angeles Chargers within reach.

The 29-year-old hasn’t missed a game since 2020, and that streak will now be challenged, but could possibly continue, according to Florida-based sports injury doctor Jesse Morse.

Moore left Thursday night’s 41-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the second quarter after diving for a low pass from Josh Allen in the back of the end zone. He landed hard on his left shoulder as Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin came down on top of him. Moore walked off under his own power, according to a USA Today account of the play.

X-rays came back negative for a clavicle fracture, and Buffalo ruled Moore out for the rest of the game at halftime, according to an NFL.com injury report.

By Friday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the diagnosis as an AC joint sprain, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that doctors don’t consider it serious.

“He has a chance to play next week (vs. the Chargers), but it’s not a lock, either,” Schefter reported for ESPN on Friday.

DJ Moore’s Shoulder Injury Gets a Return Timeline

Sports doctor Jesse Morse of Injury Expertz posted a graphic Friday morning breaking down what Moore is likely dealing with.

“The good news is that he didn’t suffer a clavicle / collarbone fracture but it sounds like a moderate AC sprain,” Morse wrote, in a Friday morning post.

Morse laid out two scenarios. A mild Type I sprain, or a Type II partial tear “usually take 2-3 weeks to heal.” But Morse also said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Moore plays in a limited role in the Bills’ Week 3 game at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Morse expanded on the diagnosis in a video, explaining why the injury hits pass-catchers hard.

“This is responsible for everything you do overhead,” Morse said of the AC joint. “It hurts to reach out in front, to reach across your body, to catch the ball,” Morse explained in the video posted Friday morning.

Morse ruled out the worst outcome. A Type III tear is “a full-thickness tear of all the ligaments” that typically costs a player a month and sends half of those patients to surgery, the sports doctor said. “This does not sound like a Type III.”

The receiver hasn’t missed a game since Week 14 of 2020.

“It would not surprise me, with an extra couple days, if he tries to make that next game in Week 3,” Morse said, pointing to Week 4 against the New England Patriots as the more likely landing spot otherwise.

Buffalo’s DJ Moore Trade Is Already Paying Off

Buffalo acquired Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Chicago Bears in March for a 2026 second-round selection, reuniting him with head coach Joe Brady, his offensive coordinator in Carolina during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, according to the team’s trade announcement.

Moore caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in his Bills debut against the Houston Texans, and through Week 2 he has 613 career receptions for 8,313 yards and 42 touchdowns across 133 games with Carolina, Chicago and Buffalo, according to NFL.com career statistics.

Carolina drafted the Maryland product 24th overall in 2018, and Thursday marked one of the rare moments in nine seasons his availability came into real question. Buffalo has the extra rest working in its favor.

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