There’s never a good time for an injury, but Bills CB Ron Brooks may be a little fortunate considering the circumstances.

Brooks, a fourth-round pick out of LSU, is recovering from foot surgery after a teammate stepped on his right foot at practice on Aug. 28. He was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 4 but is eligible to return as part of the NFL’s new IR rule. The rule states that teams can designate one player to return to practice after being on IR for at least six weeks and return to the active roster after eight weeks.

That fits perfectly with Brooks’ timetable. 

“I’d rather it happen now that later in the season,” Brooks said. “Luckily with the new rule I’m able to come back and I’m glad that they designated me that one person to come back in the season.”

“You definitely don’t want to be on IR, period. But like I said, given the new rule and the fact that they chose me as that one designated person, [that] shows a lot about the club’s commitment to me and I’m just going to go out there and work to get back to 100 percent.”

For more updates on the Bills follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLBUF and @MarkLud12.