Trae Waynes Suffers Shoulder Injury vs. Bills

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes was removed from his team's first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills due to a shoulder injury.

The team quickly announced he would be out for the rest of the game after the first-quarter injury.

While the Vikings have several quality cornerbacks on the roster, including Xavier Rhodes, Terence Newman and Mackensie Alexander, an extended absence from Waynes would be a disappointment considering his development.

He was a first-round pick in the 2015 draft and quickly earned a role, appearing in 15 games.

The 25-year-old made a bigger impact in 2016, taking over the starting job for nine games while tallying three interceptions and 11 passes defended.

"Trae is definitely trending up," general manager Rick Spielman said in the offseason, per Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. "We thought he made tremendous strides. You saw it at the end of his rookie season and then this [last season] we saw it continue. We saw him making plays on the ball, made some plays that helped us win games [last season]."

He still needs to showcase more consistency, however, and the latest injury could slow his development.

The Vikings' depth should allow them to handle the loss, but they will hope Waynes can return to the field before long.