In order to jumpstart the return man position and bolster the wide receiver depth, the Buffalo Bills signed WR Damiere Byrd to a one-year contract on Monday. This signing comes after some uneven play noted from both KJ Hamler and Daequan Hardy on Sunday. Add in the fact that Bryan Thompson is week-to-week with a hamstring, this opens the door for Byrd to make an immediate impact.
Byrd comes to Buffalo after a ton of stops around the league and several notable injuries. He hasn’t exactly wowed on offense but has had some production when given the opportunity and seen a lot more work on kickoffs.
Read below for a full injury breakdown and analysis.
Injury History
2015 Carolina Panthers
No publicly reported injuries. Spent season on the practice squad.
2016 Panthers
No publicly reported injuries. Spent most of the season on the practice squad before a late elevation to the active roster.
2017 Panthers
Torn left lateral meniscus, training on his own during offseason, required surgery.
Byrd tore his left lateral meniscus while training on his own early in the offseason. He went and saw the training staff who worked with him for a little bit before deciding he needed to get it arthroscopically corrected in late March.
The articles state that he underwent a repair but another article from the team website states that he has participated in team OTAs. The article was published two months later which suggested that his level of participation was more similar to undergoing a menisectomy where they trim out a portion of the tear rather than repair it. Either way, he was able to return to begin the season.
Left arm fracture, Week 4, went to IR, missed 7 games.
Byrd suffered a left forearm fracture on his only rushing attempt when he took a helmet off his radius while getting tackled. He underwent surgery to insert a plate and was placed on injured reserve, missing seven games.
Lower leg injury, Week 16, placed on injured reserve, missed final 2 games.
Byrd suffered a lower leg injury in Week 16 and was placed on injured reserve to end his season, his second stint for the year. The specifics of the injury are unknown what joint was affected or if surgery was required.
2018 Panthers
Knee, Week 1, missed 2 games.
Byrd suffered a knee injury sometime in the season opener which forced him out of the next two games.
Ankle, Week 4, missed 1 game
Regrettably, when Byrd did return to the lineup, he suffered an ankle injury which knocked him out of the following Week 5 contest.
Left arm fracture, Week 12, sent to IR, missed 5 games.
Byrd suffered another arm fracture, this one to the same side according to reports though unclear if the same area. He was placed back on injured reserve and missed the remaining five games.
2019 Arizona Cardinals
Hamstring, Week 3, missed 2 games.
Byrd suffered a hamstring strain at some point during Week 3, forcing him out of the next two contests.
2020 New England Patriots
No publicly reported injuries.
2021 Chicago Bears
No publicly reported injuries.
2022 Atlanta Falcons
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Panthers/Falcons/Houston Texans
Hamstring, preseason, reached injury settlement and released.
Byrd suffered a hamstring strain late in the preseason that was significant enough to require surgery. The team placed him on injured reserve and later elected to reach an injury settlement with him several days later and released him. It appeared that he was off for about two months as he signed with the Falcons in late October indicating that he was healthy enough to pass a physical. He was later released and joined the Houston Texans practice squad during the playoffs.
2024 Washington Commanders/Buffalo Bills
No publicly reported injuries.
Injury Analysis
Byrd has suffered a lot of injuries over his NFL career, many which required surgery. The meniscus, two arm fractures, and a hamstring comprise the surgeries and most of his missed time. The other injuries have cost him a total of five games over two seasons and appeared to be one-off issues at the time.
He has been healthier over the last several years bouncing around outside of his hamstring strain that required surgery. Even with the surgery, I’m less concerned about him suffering yet another issue on the same side than other instances.
Byrd will need to stay healthy in order to quickly rise up the depth chart and make the roster. None of the injuries really concern me for further issues outside of the hamstrings simply based on his positional demands and his history.
I wish Damiere Byrd the best of luck and to remain healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
