Bills LB Reggie Ragland suffers torn ACL

The Bills officially announced that Ragland, the team’s second-round pick in 2016, will need surgery to fix a torn ACL.

Ragland was slated to start next to Preston Brown in the Bills’ talented defense, but this news is nothing they weren’t expecting. Shaq Lawson underwent shoulder surgery in May, and is expected to return between Week 6 to Week 8.

The Bills signed Brandon Spikes and David Hawthorne to fill in.

That either made the Bills the most proactive team in National Football League history or the realization that Ragland wasn’t going to be around anytime soon has permeated through St. John Fisher College. The Bills didn’t let him slip too far though, and traded up to No. 41 in the draft order to take the 2015 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. While Rapoport is reporting that Ragland is expected to land on injured reserve, the Bills will know more after the surgery, but he would miss a minimum of six to eight weeks.

The injury means Rex Ryan’s new-look defense will be missing its top two draft picks to start the season.

They’ll be replaced in the lineup by inside linebacker Zach Brown and either Manny Lawson or IK Enemkpali on the outside. Bills fans will hope last year was a fluke and that with an extra year under his belt, Ryan can maximize the talent on his defense.

“I’ve said all along that I feel like our defense will be much improved”, Ryan said Wednesday. The team also said the expectation is that Ragland will not be able to play this season. CB Sterling Moore left practice with a head injury and is being monitored for a concussion.