Bills' Week 6 Injuries: Thursday Practice Updates for DJ Moore, Ed Oliver, Dee Alford

The Buffalo Bills took to the practice field at UC Irvine on Thursday, and two key starters were still missing.

After showing up on the official Week 6 injury report as non-participants at Wednesday's walkthrough, which was not open to media, wide receiver DJ Moore and defensive lineman Ed Oliver were not present with reporters looking on at the beginning of Thursday's session (h/t WGR's Sal Capaccio).

Both players were unavailable for the October 12 primetime win over the Los Angeles Rams after being banged up in Week 4 against the New England Patriots.

Remaining out west following their Week 5 victory on Monday Night Football, the Bills are preparing for an October 18 visit to the Las Vegas Raiders. Buffalo, which will fly home after Sunday's game in Sin City, will subsequently embark on its bye week.

"I'm not thinking about the bye right now. We gotta do whatever we gotta do to get ready to play this game. I know all of our guys have that kind of mindset that they're gonna get their bodies as best as they can to go play," said first-year head coach Joe Brady prior to Wednesday's practice.

Despite missing back-to-back practices, Moore and Oliver may still be able to get themselves ready for game day.

"No one's gonna be 100 percent healthy right now. We just played a Monday night game. We're five weeks into the season. It's part of the grind. If guys can be out there, the anticipation is for them to be out there," said Brady

DJ Moore injury details

Moore sprained his AC joint when hitting the ground while diving for a pass in the end zone against the Detroit Lions on September 17.

Having not missed a game since December 2020, Moore was subsequently available in Weeks 3 and 4 before his consecutive games streak ended against the Rams as a result of reaggravating the injury against the Patriots. The Bills' WR1, who was officially questionable heading into the Monday night affair, missed two days of practice before logging a limited session last Saturday.

When asked, on Wednesday, how Moore handled sitting out in Week 5, Brady took a long pause before simply saying "yeah," and moving onto the next question.

Ed Oliver injury details

Like Moore, Oliver was forced out early in the Week 4 setback to New England. The veteran lineman, who played 24 snaps in the game, took a hit to the knee from Patriots' fullback Reggie Gilliam at the end of a play near the sideline.

Oliver did not practice leading up to the Week 5 primetime game, and the Bills ruled him out on Saturday. It's unknown if the knee injury is related to the issue that kept him out of OTAs. Oliver apparently had a knee scope this past offseason, referring to it as "a little oops oops."

Although he may be out again this Sunday, it's reasonable to expect Oliver back after the bye.

Updates on RT Spencer Brown, CB Dee Alford

For the second day in a row, right tackle Spencer Brown and slot cornerback Dee Alford were participating on the field in Irvine.

Brown left after 16 snaps on Monday night due to a back flare-up. He spoke to reporters after Wednesday's walkthrough, delivering a positive update.

"Just tweaked it. Nothing major. Disc looks fine. Had an MRI. Looks better than it did last year. Long-term wise that's good to hear. It's [current issue] straight up just muscular freaking out," said Brown.

Meanwhile, Alford did not dress for Monday Night Football due to an ankle injury. He was officially questionable to play after tweaking it in the loss to the Patriots.

It seems as if he was held out more as a precaution, and he'll be ready to return to game action this Sunday.

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