It seems like whenever Buffalo Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali is in the news it’s never a good thing.

Last year Enemkpali made national headlines when he punched New York Jets then teammate Geno Smith in the jaw, costing Smith his starting job and Enemkpali his job in New York.  Shortly after, former Jets and current Bills head coach Rex Ryan signed him and he was expected to make an impact this season.

That impact will have to be on hold for at least one year as Enemkpali tore his ACL in the team’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Buffalo has been ravaged with injuries on the defensive side of the ball as first round pick Shaq Lawson is yet to practice, linebacker Manny Lawson is still recovering from a partially torn pectoral muscle and now Enemkpali is finished for the season.

“Well, we just got to hope we get Manny back soon,” Ryan said. “I think that will obviously be a big help. I’m not saying we won’t look for other possibilities. We have Lorenzo Alexander, who I feel really good about. You guys saw the kind of impact he has as a special teams player. I purposely held him out of some of the [defensive] snaps because when he was starting on all of those [special] teams, I don’t want him starting on defense, also. But he’s a very capable player.”

Some of the names that are available include former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton, Steven Tulloch, formerly of the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans, former Carolina Panthers and New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason and former Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans.