On Friday, the Buffalo Bills quietly announced the signing of OL Kevin Jarvis. Adding depth to a growing offensive line, Jarvis comes to the Bills after a collegiate career at Michigan State followed by signing with the Detroit Lions as a UDFA last season.
Jarvis does come with several injuries as most players observed below.
College
2018
Right high-ankle sprain, missed 4 total games.
Jarvis suffered a right ankle sprain against Indiana during his sophomore campaign. According to message boards, it was a high-ankle sprain which also supports why he required the use of a boot.
He missed three games initially before returning against Michigan, later missing the following game versus Purdue. That season, he exclusively played right guard.
2019
Right knee injury, missed 7 games.
Switching to left tackle, Jarvis suffered a right knee injury that based on the description and timeline suggests an MCL sprain. There is also a possibility of a meniscus tear.
Reports indicated that he would return after six or seven weeks, but he was unable to return for the season. There were no reports of surgery and no additional details available.
NFL
2022 Detroit Lions
Undisclosed injury, waived with an injury settlement.
After signing as a UDFA following the draft, Jarvis spent the preseason with the Lions. He appeared in the first preseason game of the year against the Atlanta Falcons for 29 offensive snaps and three special teams snaps.
According to the tweet below, Jarvis practiced the Monday after the game but then sat out the joint practices between the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions. He did travel with the team to Indianapolis for practice but was not practicing as early as Tuesday according to reports.
Based on that timeline, it’s possible he either suffered an injury in the preseason game or the following Monday in practice. This unfortunately provides little information as to the specifics of the injury.
At the end of training camp, Jarvis was placed on injured reserve before later receiving an injury settlement, and getting cut from the team. An injury settlement pays out what he would have been paid during the anticipated length of time it would take to recover from the injury. Had this been a season-ending injury, he would have likely stayed on injured reserve for the season.
Instead, he was given his settlement and did not find a home for the rest of the season.
Buffalo Bills Injury Outlook
From the looks of it, he has suffered a right high-ankle sprain and right MCL sprain based on available reports early in his collegiate career.
The undisclosed injury doesn’t help when it comes to projecting out concerns, but I have found that injury settlements cover minor injuries, allowing the team to move on from the player while not being forced to keep them on injured reserve. This also allows the player to be compensated while they recover and find a new opportunity as he would have spent all season on IR if the move was completed prior to the cut-down day.
Considering the timing of the signing, the Buffalo Bills likely completed a physical which indicates whatever the injury was, it is a non-issue now. Jarvis suffered lower extremity injuries which are unfortunately common at his position getting rolled up on. These injuries may partially be blamed as the result of frequent shuffling around the offensive line. He played every position on the line except center in college which is great, but that lack of positional awareness, especially early on may have contributed to the injuries.
I can see why the Buffalo Bills brought him in due to the positional versatility as he fights for a roster spot. None of the injuries appear to have long-term implications as the knee and ankle were four-plus years ago.
Having the full off-season to practice with the team to get familiar with the playbook and concepts will only benefit him as he looks to at least get a practice squad spot heading into the 2023 season.
Top Photo Credit: Michigan State
