Thats possible. I remember seeing one patient with an esophageal ulcer who "dry swallowed" her tetracycline, which she was taking for acne. This was a mistake, to say the least. One of the pills failed to make it into the stomach from the esophagus, instead, lodging there and eating away at her membranes. I am not sure if Ibuprofen can cause similar problems, but it wouldn't surprise me. All those NSAIDs are not quite as harmless as they were first thought to be when they came out. GI bleeding is not an uncommon side effect.
In any event, he should recover and eventually make it back. This is not career threatening, fortunately.