The news wasn't promising when he was spotted using crutches on Monday morning, and now word has come down that Buffalo Bills nickel cornerback Ron Brooks has a fractured foot that will require surgery and keep him out of the lineup indefinitely.

Brooks, if you recall, missed half of his rookie season a year ago with - you guessed it - a broken foot. Bills head coach Doug Marrone that Brooks re-fractured the same foot after just 10 defensive snaps in Sunday's 23-21 loss to New England.

Nickell Robey, an undrafted rookie free agent out of USC, stepped in as the Bills' nickel back on Sunday for 67 snaps, and acquitted himself fairly well. He should slide comfortably into that role until Brooks' return.

The bigger issue for the Bills is that they are once again alarmingly thin at the cornerback position. Stephon Gilmore is already out for another three to five weeks after wrist surgery, and with Brooks shelved, the team has just four healthy cornerbacks. One of those, Brandon Burton, was just signed to the active roster last week. Until further notice, Leodis McKelvin, Justin Rogers and Robey will take the lion's share of snaps at cornerback - and if the Bills are lucky at all, they'll stay healthy.