Injury Analysis: Buffalo Bills DT Larry Ogunjobi

The Bills finally addressed the middle of the defensive line signing DT Larry Ogunjobi to a one-year, $8.3 million deal on Wednesday. 

The well-traveled defensive tackle has played his entire NFL career in the AFC North after getting drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2017. Following his rookie contract, he signed for one year to the Cincinnati Bengals, helping them get to the Super Bowl. Following that year, he spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers until this year and now has a new home with Buffalo.

Ogunjobi does not bring with him postseason accolades but he does have experience playing with multiple playoff teams. Unfortunately, he also brings with him a wide variety of injuries that have cost him time over his eight-year career. 

Read below for a full injury history on Larry Ogunjobi and analysis.

Injury History

NFL

2017 Cleveland Browns

No publicly reported injuries.

2018 Browns

Left proximal bicep tear, Week 13, missed 0 games. 

Ogunjobi suffered a left proximal bicep tear when trying to dive in the backfield to tackle Texans RB Lamar Miller. He was forced to sit out the remainder of the second half but didn’t miss any further time. He also states that he did not need surgery. 

2019 Browns

No publicly reported injuries. 

2020 Browns

Abdomen injury, Week 4, missed 1 game. 

Playing the Cowboys in Week 4, Ogunjobi suffered an abdomen injury and was forced to miss the following week. It’s not clear whether this was a painful contusion to the area or an oblique, but the injury was severe enough to be ruled out the following week. 

2021 Cincinnati Bengals

Right knee, Week 4, missed 0 games.

During a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, Ogunjobi had his right knee pinned during a goal line stand. He was able to walk off the field but unable to finish the game. Based on the wording of the reporter, it sounds like he suffered an MCL sprain. 

Lisfranc injury, right foot, Wild Card, missed 3 games, on IR.

Ogunjobi missed the majority of the Bengals playoff run to the Super Bowl when he suffered a right foot injury in the Wild Card matchup. Specifically, he suffered a Lisfranc injury that ultimately required surgery and he was placed on injured reserve. 

2022 Pittsburgh Steelers

Toe injury, Week 16, missed 0 games. 

Ogunjobi was limited during the week with a toe issue and was initially questionable before being upgraded to no designation on the injury report.

Back injury, Week 5, missed 0 games.

Ogunjobi played just seven snaps against the Buffalo Bills before he exited with trainers late in the first quarter and did not return. 

Knee injury, Week 7, missed 1 game.

Ogunjobi suffered a knee injury against the Miami Dolphins playing 39 snaps before exiting and missing the following game. He had the benefit from the bye week as well to recover. 

2023 Steelers 

Right foot, preseason, missed 0 games. 

Ogunjobi was observed in a walking boot on his right foot in mid-August that preseason, keeping him out several weeks. This was the same side that he had surgery on for his Lisfranc injury at the end of 2021. He was initially questionable heading into Week 1 but played.

2024 Steelers 

Knee injury, Week 1, missed 0 games.

Ogunjobi suffered a knee injury in the Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The article goes on to state that this has been a nagging knee injury but he only has had two other instances where he has missed time due to a knee injury over the years. 

Groin injury, Week 5, missed 0 games. 

Ogunjobi suffered a groin injury in Week 5 against Dallas that limited him to just 15 snaps and appears to not have finished the game. He did return to his normal snap count the following week. 

Groin injury, Week 14, missed 2 games.

Ogunjobi suffered another groin injury in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns that saw him have an early exit after just nine snaps. He was unable to play the following two weeks before returning in Week 17 playing in just 20 snaps. 

Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis

Over an eight year career, Ogunjobi has missed seven games with three of those coming in the playoffs. He has had a wide variety of injuries including toe, back, knee, foot, abdomen, and biceps. 

Looking at the concerns, the back, toe, abdomen, and biceps were one off issues. Even the biceps injury where he had a tear, it was at the proximal portion which is the shoulder. Biceps, the prefix of that is bi which means two. So that means there’s two origin attachment points for the biceps, the long and short head. It’s not clear which one he tore but it’s common to not require surgery on a proximal tear. There was likely acute pain and weakness in the area but this was something that would eventually scar down and regain strength. There’s no real concern moving forward with this injury. 

Looking at his knee, it’s not known which knee he injured or if it was the same side every time. The one source did indicate it was a nagging issue which could suggest arthritis. If this was the case, load management with veteran rest days could help mitigate this but it certainly wouldn’t stop him from playing. There aren’t reports that he has required surgery such as an arthroscopic clean out or meniscus trim which leaves us in the dark how significant his knee issues are. The article did go onto state that 2024 was the first time he had not been playing through significant pain. 

Addressing the groin, the biggest thing that I would be concerned about is if there was an underlying core muscle injury considering he had multiple bouts with the injury. If he did have a core muscle injury during his physical with the Bills, this would be something he could get fixed now and not miss much time. This exact scenario happened with both Mitch Morse and Cole Beasley when they signed with Buffalo in 2019. Even if he did undergo surgery, the outcomes are fantastic and there is no drop off in production. 

Finally, the biggest initial concern was the foot injury. He suffered a Lisfranc sprain or even possible fracture in the area. This is a specific joint within the foot as seen below. This happens when there is an axial load on the foot when it’s flexed downward and it twists, stressing the joint. This can also happen when the foot is stepped on as this happened with former Bills CB EJ Gaines during this time with the Rams.

Some of these injuries are nonoperative and can heal others but if there is enough instability within the joint, surgery is recommended to stabilize the area. Ogunjobi underwent surgery to repair the damage. What made this initially concerning was that he was in line to sign a three-year, $40.5 million contract during the 2022 free agency period with the Chicago Bears. 

When he was brought in for his physical, the Bears doctors didn’t like what they saw and he failed his physical. Whether they didn’t like the rate at which he was healing or the residual space within the foot or something else, they elected not to sign him. He instead went to Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8 million deal. 

That was the Bears prerogative not to sign him but the Steelers took a risk and it panned out for them. Over 80 percent of players who suffer a Lisfranc sprain do return to play but suffer a decline in production their first year back before returning to their prior level of performance. Other studies show a greater than 90 percent of players return to play with no effect on their career length. Looking at when the injury happened and now in 2025, there is minimal concern moving forward. It’s also unclear whether the 2023 foot injury had anything to do with the 2021 foot injury. 

Final Thoughts

While he is an older player with several injuries, he fills a need for what the Bills are looking for in the middle of the defensive line. The Bills will do a thorough exam on him but there is not much concern regarding the health of Ogunjobi. His foot will be checked out but I expect that not to be an issue. Even if the groin is suspect, that can be addressed well before the season starts. 

The biggest concern I have is the knee and even if it’s not great, he’s only on a one-year deal which means there is a reduced risk. If everything checks out, then there are no further concerns or issues. The hope is that he can stay healthy and not get dinged up like he has before. Playing in a rotation as well may limit his exposure as he has regularly played 60 percent plus of snaps every year except his rookie year and this past year where he played 52 percent of snaps. 

Hopefully Ogunjobi can thrive in a defensive rotation and be effective unlike other recent defensive tackle signings. 

I wish Larry Ogunjobi the best of luck this upcoming season and to remain healthy. 

Top Photo Credit: NBC Sports