Injury Analysis: Buffalo Bills DE Joey Bosa

The Buffalo Bills made a surprise signing on Tuesday night, inking DE Joey Bosa to a one-year, $12.6 million deal following nine seasons as a Charger.

The former number three overall selection in the 2016 NFL draft was seen as a franchise cornerstone and, at times, lived up to that pedigree. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and former defensive rookie of the year. He has also secured 72 sacks during his career, with four seasons of double-digit production. Joey Bosa was supposed to be THE GUY, but injuries have robbed him of consistent greatness. 

His release was financially driven, even after taking a pay cut last season after he made $20 million last year. 

Read below for a detailed breakdown of Joey Bosa’s injury history and analysis.

Injury History

NFL

2016 San Diego Chargers

Hamstring injury, preseason, missed 4 games.

Bosa missed the first four games of his NFL career after suffering what was described as a “minor” hamstring strain. The team did not want to let it become long-term, which is why they held him out. This also came after he held out during training camp for his rookie contract.

Dislocated finger, Week 6, missed 0 games. 

Bosa suffered a dislocated finger on his hand, side or finger not specified, and did not miss any games. He underwent surgery to repair the finger in the 2017 offseason.

Neck sprain, Week 14, missed 0 games.

Bosa suffered a neck sprain against the Carolina Panthers in Week 14 that required him to undergo a concussion check as a precaution. He was able to clear the assessment.

2017 Los Angeles Chargers

No publicly reported injuries.

2018 Chargers

Left foot injury, missed 9 games.

Bosa suffered a left foot injury in August of that season and allowed it to heal before returning to practice. This was initially diagnosed as a bone bruise suffered during the first week of training camp on August 7.

He then reaggravated the injury in his first practice back before the season opener of the 2018 season. Specifically, he had a soft tissue injury between the first and second metatarsals and instability within one of the tendons of his left foot. He was forced to miss the first nine games of the season as a result.

2019 Chargers

No publicly reported injuries.

2020 Chargers

Left triceps injury, Week 2, missed 0 games.

Bosa suffered a left triceps strain during the game that left his arm useless during multiple points in the game. Despite his injury, he played through the issue before being listed as questionable in Week 5.

Concussion, Week 8, missed 2 games.

Bosa suffered the first concussion of his career against the Denver Broncos in Week 8, which forced him out of the following two contests. He was reported to be “in a fog” as he recovered before clearing the protocol the Wednesday before Week 11 against the New York Jets

Concussion/shin, Week 15, missed 2 games.

Bosa suffered his second concussion of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders, which forced him out of the final two games of the season. Pro Football Reference has him listed as a shin injury and there are some sources that show he was on the report for a shin, but no additional details are known.

2021 Chargers

Ankle/Foot injury, Week 2, missed 0 games.

Bosa suffered an ankle/foot injury in Week 2 and was questionable heading into Week 3 but ultimately played. 

Ankle injury, Week 9, missed 0 games.

Bosa popped up on the injury report with yet another ankle injury, though it’s not clear whether he reaggravated the previous issue. He was questionable but suited up. 

Concussion, Week 13, missed 0 games.

Bosa suffered the third concussion of his NFL career just after nine defensive snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was eventually cleared to return by team doctors, but HC Brandon Staley decided to hold him out of the game as a precaution. 

COVID, Week 16, missed 1 game.

2022 Chargers

Core muscle repair, Week 3, missed 12 games, placed on injured reserve.

Bosa initially injured the left side of his groin several years prior but could not pinpoint the exact instance. He then began to compensate, and the right side began to bother him. He finally tore the right side of his groin severely enough in Week 3, which forced Bosa to undergo surgery and repair both sides. He was placed on injured reserve and missed 12 games. 

2023 Chargers

Hamstring strain, Week 1, missed 1 game.

Bosa initially injured his hamstring back in Week 1 due to overuse playing against the Miami Dolphins. He played through the injury for the next several weeks as a questionable designation before missing Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders due to the hamstring and toe injuries.

Left Great Toe fracture, Week 3, missed 1 game.

Bosa was already playing through the hamstring strain before getting his left big toe stepped on against the Minnesota Vikings. He suffered a fracture in the area and was forced to sit out Week 4. 

Right foot sprain, Week 11, missed 7 games, placed on IR.

Bosa appeared in just four plays against the Green Bay Packers and was forced to the sidelines after injuring his foot. The article does not state the specifics of how he hurt it, but Bosa put his hands on his head immediately and knew something was wrong. 

2024 Chargers

Left hand fracture, joint practice Rams preseason, missed 0 games.

Bosa suffered a left-hand fracture in a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on August 4. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture and was forced to wear a club on the area as he slowly worked back to returning. 

Back injury, Week 1, missed 0 games.

Bosa appeared to injure his back in Week 1, which led him to be questionable for Week 2, but he ultimately played. 

Hip injury, Week 3, missed 3 games.

Bosa then missed the following three games after playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. He described the injury as a gluteal strain that put “immense pain” on his sciatic nerve. 

Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis

His injury history reads like War and Peace. 

He has missed 42 games over his nine-year career. When he is healthy, he is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, his Pro Bowl selections support that. But his injuries have simply held him back. 

This is the cumulation of playing an incredibly physical position and playing as hard as you can. 

Looking at the variety of injuries, pick and choose your own adventure for a discussion. He has had three concussions, though none since 2021. This hasn’t stopped the Bills from signing guys with those histories, but it is something to note. He couldn’t control the toe or hand fractures, but those events happen in a pile of bodies on the line of scrimmage. 

Core muscle repair is unfortunately common in players who have to use their hips as much as Bosa does as a defensive end. He let the issues linger until things finally gave and got the area repaired. Players have excellent outcomes coming off this procedure, and he has not been on the injury report for a groin issue since then. 

Some of the other issues, like the ankle, hamstring, dislocated fingers, and triceps strain, were things he simply had to play through during the season. The team was cautious with the hamstring strain in his rookie year, considering he sat out a majority of camp, and he was a high draft selection. 

His foot issues were the result of a bone bruise and a sprain that cost him considerable time. 

Finally, his hip issue sounds like this was more of a piriformis issue, a muscle that is deep to the gluteus maximus and lies over the sciatic nerve. He likely had pain going down his leg and weakness in the buttocks area, preventing him from effectively driving off the affected leg and lessening his power.

Some of these injuries are minimal when isolated, but together, as a whole, it is rather concerning. How much more punishment can his body take? I don’t see a clear pattern as to the injuries either. This might be the result of playing his position as hard as you can and dealing with the consequences of that. 

Final Thoughts

The upside to this signing is that it is a one-year deal, and the money he signed for is rather low when you compare him to what other defensive ends are making around the league. The Bills don’t have a lot of resources allocated to him right now in what is expected to be a season to reset his market. If Bosa can figure out what he did in 2017 and 2019, he should be able to reset his market for 2026.

The Bills have had a long history of taking risks in free agency on injured players, this is not surprising. I am in favor of this approach overall. They have found some great talent in the past with guys coming off injuries. It has also hurt them at times. 

I honestly didn’t think that Joey Bosa was on the Bills’ radar, especially with the injuries he’s suffered throughout his career. There were also rumblings that he wanted to go play with his brother Nick in San Francisco.

This is a boom-or-bust signing. I can appreciate the Bills looking for a difference-maker and taking a risk on someone who has prior production. I can also appreciate the relative discount that Bosa is on, considering the market and his injury history. I think he can be successful and stay relatively healthy if he stays in a rotation or certain situations. Looking at his snap counts throughout his career, it is hard to determine what number was too much for him because he suffered so many injuries. He was at 50 percent of snaps this past season, which did allow him to be more available, especially after the hip issue, but the Bills need to be judicious with his usage this season. 

This is a signing that could be a fantastic deal come January, when the Bills need a key stop in the playoffs. Or this could be a big swing and a miss where Bosa continues to deteriorate. If this had been a multi-year deal at a market rate contract similar to what Greg Rousseau signed for, I would have strongly disapproved. But the Bills mitigated their risk financially with a potentially big payoff. If they wanted proven production and a healthier player, they would have had to pay a lot more. 

I am cautiously optimistic that Joey Bosa can stay healthy this season. But it’s a big IF.

I wish Joey Bosa the best of luck this season and to remains healthy.

Top Photo Credit: NFL.com