"Linebacker Shawne Merriman will not play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. When he will make his Buffalo Bills debut remains to be seen.

Head coach Chan Gailey said Thursday that Merriman is out this week after straining his right Achilles tendon about 15 minutes into his first practice with the team on Wednesday. It is the same injury that hindered Merriman during the preseason and forced him to miss the regular season opener when he was still with San Diego.

Gailey indicated that the strained Achilles is not a long-term injury, but he is not sure when Merriman will play.

"We'll see what happens next week, or it might be the next, I don't know," Gailey said after practice. "We're going to get him well. That's the most important thing. Let's get him well before we put him on the field."

Merriman spent much of the day in the training room getting treatment and was not available for comment.

The strained Achilles is the latest setback for the former three-time Pro Bowler, whose once promising career has been derailed by injuries. Since 2008, he has played in only 23 of a possible 41 games.

In addition to the Achilles, Merriman also dealt with a strained left calf this year that sidelined him for most of three games and contributed to the Chargers putting him on injured reserve with a minor injury designation, which meant they had to release him once he was healthy.

Merriman passed the Chargers' physical before being waived and his health was green-lighted by the Bills' medical staff.

Besides Merriman, right tackle Cordaro Howard (shoulder) was the only Bills player not practicing Thursday. His status for Sunday is uncertain.

Wide receiver Lee Evans (ankle), left tackle Demetrius Bell (knee), cornerback Reggie Corner (ankle), outside linebacker Chris Kelsay (knee) and right guard Eric Wood (leg) all practiced without limitation after having Wednesday off."