How will current injuries impact the coming season?

[947]

Hoecht was an absolute wrecking ball for a game and a half. It gave me Bryce Paup Bills debut vibes.

 

But yeah, the next player who gets back 100% of their prior athleticism after an achilles tear will be the first. There are guys who've made it back to "pretty good" like Tre, Crabtree, Dobbins, & Rodgers- but none fully back to what they were.

 

The reality is that Hoecht could still be above average, or he might be complete toast. We won't know until we see him play.

[transplantbillsfan]

3 hours ago, Jerome007 said:

Weird to talk injuries 2 days after the Super bowl, but with what happened to Hoecht, Shavers, Davis, Strong and a few others, when can they be expected to come back? Some might miss a good chunk of next season...

 

Add Landon Jackson and DeWayne Carter to the list.

 

Gabe Davis is a UFA.

 

All these injuries are hugely meaningful. If most/all can get back for the beginning of the season at full health, our depth (especially on Defense) looks okay.

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

I don't think you can just look at a player and say he is a "WR4 at best" and decide he isn't that important. You have to look at how he is used and how many aspects of the game he was effecting. He was extremely important in the run game, they often would move him inside and have him blocking DE's and LB's in tight formations because of his size and he did it very well. He was also a core ST player that did a lot there. And he was open quite a bit. 

 

This is not your "normal" WR4, he was a increasingly a key player for the way the BILLS OPERATE THEIR OFFENSE, especially by the end of the year. It doesn't matter how he would have been used on other teams, if he would have been relegated to ST duty only or not even make the roster. For the BILLS, and BILLS ALONE, he was a very important player.

 

From the TB game on, he was second only behind Shakir in snap count percentage for WR's on offense, and  he wasn't that far behind.  You want to know how important the Bills felt he was? He played a total of 4 snaps in the Jets season finale game.

 

In the next game, he played only 7% of the ST snaps, also 54% of the Offensive snaps, and had 2 targets while the running game (outside of Allen) amassed 46 yards on 15 runs.

[Virgil]

I don't mean this as harsh as it sounds, but I'm glad the Bills won't be able to run it back with Davis and Shavers.  They need all the push they can get to retool that room

[Xerx]

2 hours ago, 947 said:

Hoecht was an absolute wrecking ball for a game and a half. It gave me Bryce Paup Bills debut vibes.

 

But yeah, the next player who gets back 100% of their prior athleticism after an achilles tear will be the first. There are guys who've made it back to "pretty good" like Tre, Crabtree, Dobbins, & Rodgers- but none fully back to what they were.

 

The reality is that Hoecht could still be above average, or he might be complete toast. We won't know until we see him play.

 

There are guys around who have though across the sports spectrum

 

Kevin Durant 

David Beckham

Terrell Suggs!!! same position, 6months recovery...multiple double digit sack seasons after

 

[Jerome007]

3 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

It was week 6? Didn't he have a 6 game suspension and played 1 game and got injured in the next..? 

Oh yes. I mistakenly calculated from a 4 game suspension haha. But it was 6 indeed. So it was week 8. 

 

 

Edited February 10 by Jerome007

[billsfan89]

Josh’s foot injury should be ready to go by camp which is late July and that injury is a 6 month injury and he has it taken care of in January. That’s the biggest one to worry about and thus far it doesn’t seem to be a major factor.

 

Shavers and Gabe are likely not going to be ready to camp and would have to be on a PUP to start the season but I think given that both guys are marginal players I don’t think they will bring them back.

 

Hoecht is the major injury where I think he’s gonna at a minimum be on the PUP to start the season and probably might not be the same since an Achilles could mean 2 years or so before a player gets back to form.

 

Kincaid’s injury is a big one as well. I think he will have to be managed and could impact him. 
 

I can’t think of any other major injuries that will impact the team. All other injuries shouldn’t be more than a few months rehab ready well before camp.

[BuffaloBillyG]

3 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

Josh’s foot injury should be ready to go by camp which is late July and that injury is a 6 month injury and he has it taken care of in January. That’s the biggest one to worry about and thus far it doesn’t seem to be a major factor.

 

Shavers and Gabe are likely not going to be ready to camp and would have to be on a PUP to start the season but I think given that both guys are marginal players I don’t think they will bring them back.

 

Hoecht is the major injury where I think he’s gonna at a minimum be on the PUP to start the season and probably might not be the same since an Achilles could mean 2 years or so before a player gets back to form.

 

Kincaid’s injury is a big one as well. I think he will have to be managed and could impact him. 
 

I can’t think of any other major injuries that will impact the team. All other injuries shouldn’t be more than a few months rehab ready well before camp.

Yeah, I am really confused what the plan is with Kincaid. They said it was a lingering issue from the knee injury the year before. So he had tried the rest and rehab method and he said he tweaked it a lot of times last year. Yet, he's still not having surgery to repair but. He's going with rest and rehab yet again. 

 

I'm already expecting it to be another year like last year was for him. 

[uticaclub]

5 hours ago, Jerome007 said:

It happened in week 6. So, hard to know when he'll come back. He was a force for those 6 quarters he played. That D could have got the Bills to the Superbowl... Hopefully he is full strenght by  mid -season

4 of those quarters were against a guy with a broken thumb 

[PetermansRedemption]

Can the Bills cut Hoecht? Or do they have to keep him on the roster until healthy. 

[billsfan89]

15 minutes ago, PetermansRedemption said:

Can the Bills cut Hoecht? Or do they have to keep him on the roster until healthy. 

It would cost the team a 9.5 million dead cap hit if they cut him vs his 7.5 million dollar cap number. Best off keeping him and seeing if you can PUP him and get him back after week 6

[Ethan in Cleveland]

6 hours ago, eball said:

Wow, some strong comments here. First, Beane knew about the suspension when he signed him. Second, Hoecht looked like everything we hoped for when he came back. If he is recovered I expect him to be an integral part of this defense. 
 

I've stated from the first day they tested positive they should have cut ties with both PED cheats. Trent Murphy was a useless PED cheat too. I'm not naive to think they are the only ones. But they got caught and Beane should have pulled the contracts of both. 

Hoecht played 6 quarters. He brought energy no doubt. But I have extreme doubts he can play at a decent level coming off an Achilles tear and no longer on PEDs. 

Cut him and move one

5 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

Add Landon Jackson and DeWayne Carter to the list.

 

Gabe Davis is a UFA.

 

All these injuries are hugely meaningful. If most/all can get back for the beginning of the season at full health, our depth (especially on Defense) looks okay.

Jackson looked like a bust before the ACL. Now where do you play him in a 3-4 or 3-3-5 defense?? Another wasted day 2 pick. 

 

Davis will not be back

 

Carter is intriguing.  Maybe he can be a decent depth guy in the new scheme at NT. 

[ColoradoBills]

6 hours ago, DapperCam said:

Landon Jackson is another guy who was supposed to be depth and tore his MCL and PCL at the beginning of November getting rolled up on in the pile.

 

I’m not sure what recovery time is for that.

 

Jackson (and Carter) will start off on PUP.  It's the safest way for injured players to be evaluated and rehab for a return or not.

 

When you all think about it, it's a huge number of players to start on PUP.  How that plays out will be very important this summer.

[WeckMonster]

6 hours ago, DapperCam said:

Landon Jackson is another guy who was supposed to be depth and tore his MCL and PCL at the beginning of November getting rolled up on in the pile.

 

I’m not sure what recovery time is for that.

What’s the recovery time for being stiff and lost and a poor fit for our new scheme?

[dorquemada]

7 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

I think Strong's injury is going to lead us to draft a CB whereas if he was healthy we might have just gotten someone as an UDFA to add to the mix.

 

Davis/Shavers might cause us to draft a 2nd WR later in the draft to add to the mix as WR5 or maybe sign a veteran free agent that can contribute as a ST gunner and a WR on the field. 

 

Hoecht's I don't think impacts anything and expect him to be back on the field in September 2026. The other injuries like Landon Jackson and Dewayne Carter might make us to look at bringing in a few more lower cost veterans to compete for backup spots and/or better suited for 34 base defense.

 

Lmao Jackson and Carter.   Can they redshirt them for a few years instead?

[Evansfan322]

8 hours ago, Jerome007 said:

Weird to talk injuries 2 days after the Super bowl, but with what happened to Hoecht, Shavers, Davis, Strong and a few others, when can they be expected to come back? Some might miss a good chunk of next season...

I’m not counting on Hoecht, an Achilles is different with each player. As for the rest; late season injuries are hard to speculate. I really hate it for Shavers because he worked really hard to make the roster but with hard work could be back the last 1/4 of the season, maybe 

[DapperCam]

28 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Jackson looked like a bust before the ACL. Now where do you play him in a 3-4 or 3-3-5 defense?? Another wasted day 2 pick. 

He literally played one drive after being injured at the beginning of the year before getting injured again. How was he already looking like a bust? He didn’t look like anything.

 

He has the build to be an edge rusher in a 3-4 IMO.

[transplantbillsfan]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

 

Jackson looked like a bust before the ACL. Now where do you play him in a 3-4 or 3-3-5 defense?? Another wasted day 2 pick. 

 

Davis will not be back

 

Carter is intriguing.  Maybe he can be a decent depth guy in the new scheme at NT. 

 

Wasted day 2 pick??????  

 

See Cole Bishop please...

[Shortchaz]

I genuinely hope that the new staff moves on from the oft injured. Including: Oliver, Palmer, Bernard, Kincaid, (obv Samuel), like…everyone. 
 

We all know that the one injury that matters is probably going to happen at some point. This whole thing is a house of cards 

[Paup 1995MVP]

9 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

I think Strong's injury is going to lead us to draft a CB whereas if he was healthy we might have just gotten someone as an UDFA to add to the mix.

 

Davis/Shavers might cause us to draft a 2nd WR later in the draft to add to the mix as WR5 or maybe sign a veteran free agent that can contribute as a ST gunner and a WR on the field. 

 

Hoecht's I don't think impacts anything and expect him to be back on the field in September 2026. The other injuries like Landon Jackson and Dewayne Carter might make us to look at bringing in a few more lower cost veterans to compete for backup spots and/or better suited for 34 base defense.

If Gabe Davis is healthy or not, do we really want to resign him?  He is awfully slow, even when healthy.  Shavers has some upside.  But our receiving group other than Shakir were bottom of the league last year.  Not sure there were any groups collectively as bad as ours.  

 

Who do you really want back other than Shakir?  Maybe Cooks on a very receivable contract.  But his hands suck.  And he has lost a step or two.  Shavers?  When healthy he is a good blocker.  But is he even a #4 receiver on most teams?  

 

Palmer Coleman and Samuel.  Ouch!!