Finding talent in their own backyard, the Buffalo Bills signed LB Joe Andreessen on Saturday following a rookie minicamp tryout. The former Lancaster Legends star went to Bryant where he became a FCS All-American before finishing his career with the Buffalo Bulls.
Andreessen comes back home to begin his NFL career and hopefully work his way towards bigger opportunities. During his time at Bryant, Andreessen did deal with several injuries that cost him time early in his career.
Read below for Joe Andreessen’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2018 Bryant
No publicly reported injuries.
2019 Bryant
Left ankle injury, missed eight games.
Few details are available as to the extent of Andreessen’s ankle injury other than a local news report that he battled an ankle injury among other issues in past seasons. In the linked picture from IG, he is observed walking across the field with an aircast ankle stirrup on the left side. This possibly suggests a significant high-ankle sprain or even fracture.
2021 Bryant
Undisclosed injury, missed 2 games.
Due to COVID canceling the fall season, the football schedule was moved to the spring for an abbreviated season. He was forced to miss the final two games with an undisclosed injury.
2021 Bryant
Right shoulder injury, missed 0 games.
Minimal details are available other than he battled through a shoulder injury in college according to a local report. In the above linked picture from IG, he is seen wearing a shoulder harness, suggesting a a potential rotator cuff, labrum, or pectoral injury.
Right knee injury, missed 0 games.
Once again, local reports help fill in the gaps as Andreessen dealt with a right knee injury at some point during the season. The linked photo from IG indicates he was dealing with a right knee injury as evident by the bracing on the area. Other pictures had him requiring a wrap or tape job around the knee during the season.
2022 Bryant
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 University at Buffalo
No publicly reported injuries.
Injury Analysis
Besides pictures and local reports, there isn’t any additional information as to the extent of his injuries. Due to Andreessen playing at a smaller FCS school, coverage was restricted to the college and local paper which yielded few results.
It’s unclear if he required surgery for any of the injuries but in the article from WIVB from December 2022, Andreessen did highlight how 2022 was the first season since 2019 where he didn’t have any injuries coming into the season. He has put together two solid, healthy seasons that got NFL teams interested and he now has a shot.
It doesn’t appear that his past injuries are concerning or anything that will linger. However, having an extra season to demonstrate he is healthy and can produce at a higher level is only beneficial.
Final Thoughts
What a great opportunity for a local player to play for the hometown team. Every kid dreams of it, few achieve it. The talent pool in Western New York is deep, sending kids to various professional sports leagues. This is just one more example and one I will be watching closely. Add in the fact that he is a former wrestler, no wonder the Bills wanted to sign him.
He is on an NFL roster, he has a shot to stick with the team in some capacity or could find other opportunities after roster cut downs.
I wish Joe Andreessen the best of lock this season and to stay healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Harry Scull Jr/Buffalo News
