Just a few days after Jordan Matthews was traded to the Buffalo Bills from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bills tweeted out that the wide receiver had an apparent chip fracture in his sternum. Matthews suffered the injury during his first practice with the Bills.
Injury Update: Jordan Mathews has a chip fracture in his sternum and will be listed as week to week. #BillsCamp pic.twitter.com/GDuqXm2sHG
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) August 14, 2017
Jordan Matthews Injured in First Practice With Buffalo Bills
While the injury is reported as being “week to week,” the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock states that a full recovery takes an average of ten weeks. The severity of the injury and the details on how exactly Matthews was injured are unclear. However, the fact that Matthews will not be participating in the August 17th preseason game against his former team is abundantly clear.
Matthews’ production was down in 2016, hauling in only three touchdowns over 14 games for the Eagles. He missed two games late in the season after spraining his ankle in Week 12, explaining away some of his drop in production. But the sure-handedness of the fourth year receiver out of Vanderbilt has been questioned after he ranked in the top ten for dropped passes among receivers.
Matthews was traded to the Bills on Friday, much to the dismay of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz reportedly told Eagles executive vice president of football operations, Howie Roseman, that he counted Matthews as “one of [his] best friends.” The Bills received a 2018 third-round draft pick and Matthews from the Eagles in return for cornerback Ronald Darby.
What This Means for the Bills Passing Game
The loss of Matthews leaves Tyrod Taylor very little to work with after a trade with the Los Angeles Rams saw the departure of Bills receiver Sammy Watkins. The Rams traded a 2018 second-round draft pick and cornerback E.J. Gaines for Watkins and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick. Watkins was an offensive star for Buffalo while he was healthy, but his ability to remain so has been an issue throughout his career.
Taylor will have to rely on veteran Anquan Boldin, who signed a one-year contract just two weeks ago, to bolster the passing game. The Bills also drafted an offensive weapon in receiver Zay Jones, the all-time FBS leader in career receptions. Jones is currently listed behind Andre Holmes on the Bills depth chart.
