Buffalo Bills guard Rodger Saffold was injured in a car accident recently, the team said Sunday. Safford will start training camp on the non-football injury list with a rib injury. Saffold, 34, signed a one-year deal with the Bills in March after spending three years with the Tennessee Titans.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters at St. John Fisher College the accident happened in the “last couple of weeks,” reports the Buffalo News. The team is “confident” Saffold will be “back in due time,” McDermott added. Bills general manager Brandon Beane added that Saffold is having trouble sleeping, but they expect he will be ready for the regular season.
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“You don’t want to put a timetable on it, but those generally take some time. I mean, it’s tough for him to sleep. Anybody that’s ever cracked some ribs can probably speak to that,” Beane said, reports ESPN. “He’s sore. Fortunately, you know, that’s all it was. Any time you get a car wreck, those can be life-threatening. But we’re glad that’s the worst it is. There’s never good timing, but probably better now than in the season. And so, we’ll be patient.”
Safford spent his first eight seasons in the NFL with the Rams before signing a four-year contract with the Titans. The Titans released him in March, and he signed a one-year contract with the Bills four days later. Safford was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
The Bills also provided an update on cornerback Tre’Davious White, who started camp on the physically unable to perform list. He is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered on Thanksgiving. “He’s on schedule. He looks really good,” McDermott told reporters. “He’s working his tail off, and I mean, Tre is a consummate pro. So that has not changed, and we’re just excited to get him back when we can get him back.” Defensive lineman Eli Ankou (calf) and offensive lineman Ike Boettger (Achilles) are on the PUP list as well.
The Bills are looking for their third consecutive AFC East title in 2022 and fourth straight appearance in the playoffs. During the 2022 playoffs, the Bills lost an overtime classic to the Kansas City Chiefs, 42-36. The NFL picked the Bills to play the Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams in the 2022 kickoff game on Thursday, Sept. 8 on NBC.
