Further addressing the linebacker depth, the Buffalo Bills signed LB Shayne Simon to a one-year contract on Tuesday and released Tommy Doyle as waived/injured.
Simon comes to Buffalo after a rookie minicamp tryout early last month, impressing the staff enough to bring him on board. He started his career at Notre Dame, playing for four seasons before using his last two seasons due to medical redshirt and COVID to play at the University of Pittsburgh.
Below is Shayne Simon’s publicly reported injuries and analysis.
Injury History
2018 Notre Dame
No publicly reported injuries.
2019 Notre Dame
Right knee patellar injury, vs Navy, missed 3 games.
Simon suffered a right knee injury in the win over Navy late in the season. Reports vary between a dislocated patella, patellar fracture, and patellar tendon rupture. Knowing how the injury can present, it can actually be a combination of all three.
The first report indicates that he dislocated the patellar and that he required an MRI to look at the structural damage present. It’s quite possible when he dislocated his patella, a portion of the bone chipped off with the tendon indicating an avulsion fracture. Furthermore, he could have also torn which is what one report stated and is in line with the six-to-nine month recovery timeframe he was given more in line with ruptures.
2020 Notre Dame
Undisclosed, possibly COVID, vs South Florida, missed 1 game.
Simon and a number of other players missed the game against South Florida for possibly COVID, though unable to be confirmed. Colleges do not typically provide that level of detail for missing games whether COVID or injury specifics.
2021 Notre Dame
Shoulder labrum tear, vs Florida State, missed 12 games.
Simon suffered a shoulder injury, side not specified, in the win over Florida State. The injury was significant enough that it required season ending surgery and provided him a medical redshirt.
2022 Pittsburgh
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Pittsburgh
No publicly reported injuries.
Injury Analysis
Several injuries early on really had a chance to derail Simon’s career, but he looked to rebound over the last two seasons during his time at Pitt.
Looking at the labrum tear, there does not appear to be any decline in a return to performance. There is anywhere from a 13 to 26 percent chance of re-tearing the labrum following repair. There is also a 58 percent chance of future instability within the shoulder in the future, but not a guarantee.
As for the likely patellar tendon tear, rates to return were anywhere from 50–75 percent. Simon was able to return to play and has continued to show improvement in his game over the last four seasons. Any concerns for re-injury are quite low and he has appeared to return to a similar level or higher level of performance since the injury.
Final Thoughts
Considering he hasn’t missed anytime in three years, this indicates that the major injuries are a minimal concern moving forward. Nothing in his known history suggests he’s at an immediate risk to miss time or have issues during at least the length of his contract. He also prioritizes his rehab and recovery as evident during his NFL draft prep seen below.
Simon’s injury history will not prevent him from making the team, it will be his talent and players ahead of him. Considering how deep practice squads are and injuries throughout the season, it’s not impossible to consider Simon could find himself in the building later this year. For now, he is depth at a position that saw a lot of turnover last season. He has a shot at the roster while the team works without Matt Milano and several other smaller injuries.
I wish Shayne Simon to stay healthy and the best of luck in making the team.
Top Photo Credit: University of Pittsburgh
