National Football League

Bills' Gilmore out about 8 weeks

Published Aug. 26, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

Mike Garafolo

As if their quarterback issues weren't bad enough, the Buffalo Bills will be without one of their starting cornerbacks for a while.

Stephon Gilmore, the 10th overall pick in last year's NFL draft, will undergo a procedure on his hand that will keep him out about eight weeks. Gilmore suffered the injury in Saturday's preseason game against the Washington Redskins.

It's yet another blow for the Bills, who are without quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and EJ Manuel, though the hope is Manuel will return from knee surgery and be ready by opening day.

Gilmore, a starter from Week 1 last year, had a solid rookie season and is expected to build upon his early success this year, though he'll now have to work his way back into the fold in early October.

Gilmore's injury hurts a Bills secondary that seemingly got a boost recently with the return of safety Jairus Byrd, who signed the franchise tender. Byrd is back but Gilmore is down, as is backup safety Da'Norris Searcy, who suffered a head injury against Washington.