The Buffalo Bills filled out their roster for training camp signing WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to an inventive-laden one-year contract on Tuesday. MVS comes to Buffalo after stops in Green Bay and Kansas City bringing with him two Super Bowl rings from the last two seasons.
Over his six-year career, MVS has shown to be relatively durable appearing in 103 games including playoffs. He has had his share of injuries but has been available when it most counts over his career. Below is Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2018 Green Bay Packers
No publicly reported injuries.
2019 Packers
Cramping, Week 1, missed 0 games.
Valdes-Scantling was forced to leave the Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears due to cramping in the first quarter. He was later able to return, playing in 67 percent of offensive snaps.
Hamstring/Calf injury, Week 5, missed 0 games.
MVS dealt with hamstring and calf injuries following the Week 5 win over Dallas. He was questionable heading into Week 6 but suited up.
Ankle/Knee injuries, Week 6, missed 0 games.
After playing through the hamstring and calf injuries, MVS added ankle and knee injuries to his issues when he had both legs rolled up. He was able to finish the game but saw a drop off in playing time the following week, logging just 35 percent of offensive snaps. The injuries would linger for several more weeks.
2020 Packers
Achilles strain, Week 12, missed 0 games.
MVS tweaked his Achilles during practice that Thursday and was questionable heading into the game against the Chicago Bears. Despite the injury, he still saw his normal complement of snaps.
2021 Packers
Hamstring injury, Week 3, missed 5 games, went to IR.
MVS suffered a hamstring strain in the fourth quarter in the waning moments of the win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. The strain was significant enough that he was later placed on injured reserve, ultimately missing five games.
Hip injury, Week 10, missed 0 games.
Following the Week 10 win over the Seattle Seahawks, MVS was limited throughout the week with a hip injury. He did not have a designation heading into the game versus the Minnesota Vikings, playing in his normal complement of snaps.
Back injury, Week 14, missed 0 games.
MVS was limited all week following the Week 14 win over the Chicago Bears with a back injury. He saw his normal complement of snaps suggesting this was a maintenance issue.
COVID, Week 16, missed 1 game.
MVS missed the Week 16 game versus the Cleveland Browns due to being placed on the COVID/Reserve list.
Back injury, Week 18, missed 1 game.
MVS appeared to aggravate his back injury in the first quarter in the loss to the Detroit Lions. He was unable to play in the divisional round loss to the 49ers.
2022 Kansas City Chiefs
Concussion, missed final preseason game.
It’s not clear when MVS suffered a concussion, but it kept him out of the preseason finale. He was later able to pass through the concussion protocol and be ready for Week 1.
Hip/abdomen injury, Week 3, missed 0 games.
MVS was questionable heading into the Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Several reports have him listed with an abdomen injury while Pro-Football-Reference had him listed as a hip injury. He played in his normal snap count.
Illness, Week 11, missed 0 games.
MVS missed practice prior to Week 11 due to illness before returning and having no designation heading into the game.
2023 Chiefs
No publicly reported injuries.
Injury Analysis
Outside of the 2021 season where he battled the hamstring injury that sent him to injured reserve followed by the hip and back injuries, MVS has been relatively healthy. He does have a fair amount of soft tissue issues such as the Achilles, calf, hamstring, etc early in his career, but he has appeared to take care of his body better over the last two seasons.
He has only missed seven games over his career with five of those being attributed to the hamstring strain that sent him to IR. While I don’t expect him to avoid injury altogether again this season, there isn’t much to be concerned about moving forward. The hamstring injury appears to be more of a one-off issue that did not linger.
Even looking at the concussion, hip, and back injuries, they were either isolated events or tied into the other injuries that year.
Final Thoughts
Considering his contract is set up to be incentive-based, the team gets veteran production at a minimum financial risk should he not meet his benchmarks. I know there are detractors regarding his play, they very well may be right.
But from a health perspective, there isn’t much to dislike about this signing. I wish Marquez Valdes-Scantling the best of luck this season and to remain healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
