Injury Analysis: Buffalo Bills WR Laviska Shenault

The Buffalo Bills continue to add to their wide receiver room, signing WR Laviska Shenault to a one-year contract on Thursday. 

Shenault was once regarded as one of the top wide receivers during the 2020 draft and has since largely failed to live up to his potential. This has been evident in his multiple stops after getting drafted in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2022 before being released in early 2024. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks before getting waived midway through the season where he finished up with the Los Angeles Chargers.

While he has shown a ton of potential, he also has plenty of recent experience as a kick returner, which could benefit the Bills as the kickoff rules continue to evolve. One variable that could prevent Shenault from succeeding as a Bill is injuries. Dating back to college, he has suffered plenty of injuries and it’s an unfortunate trend.

Read below for the full injury history of Laviska Shenault and analysis.

Injury History

College

Colorado

For a full injury analysis from his time at Colorado, please check out the article I did for Cover 1 back in 2020.

NFL

2020 Jacksonville Jaguars

Hamstring injury, Week 9, missed 2 games.

Shenault suffered a hamstring strain against the Houston Texans in Week 9 after just 13 snaps. This forced him out of the following two games but when he returned, he played in 90 percent of that week’s snaps.

Thumb injury, Week 13, missed 0 games.

Shenault picked up a thumb injury in Week 13 versus the Minnesota Vikings, playing only 35 percent of snaps that game. Fortunately, this was a minor injury, and he returned to his normal workload the following week.

2021 Jaguars

Shoulder injury, Week 2, missed 0 games. 

Shenault was taken down near the sideline against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 and required assessment by the trainers before finishing the game. He later required an MRI to assess the potential damage but did not miss any further time, suggesting this was a mild AC joint sprain. 

COVID, Week 16, missed 1 game.

Shenault was placed on the COVID/Reserve list ahead of Week 16 and was forced to miss that week’s game. 

2022 Jacksonville Jaguars/Carolina Panthers

Hamstring injuries, Week 3, missed 2 games. 

Shenault suffered a hamstring strain in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints that limited him to just 11 offensive snaps that game. He attempted to play through the injury despite being a questionable designation played in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, where he lasted just four offensive snaps before his exit and missed the next two games. 

Shoulder injury, Week 14, missed 0 games.

He popped up on the injury report with a shoulder injury but did not have a designation heading into Week 15.

2023 Panthers

Concussion, preseason.

Shenault suffered a concussion while blocking during a run play and got dinged in the head. He was placed into the protocol and cleared a week later. 

High-Ankle sprain, Week 6, missed 3 games.

Shenault suffered a high-ankle sprain in the second quarter of the contest against the Miami Dolphins after hauling in a pass in the second quarter. He required the cart to exit the field and missed the next three games, plus he had the bye to recover.

Ankle injury, Week 12, missed 6 games, on IR.

When Shenault did return in Week 11, he played in just three offensive snaps. He then suited up in Week 12 before going down with a new ankle injury. This injury was severe enough that he went on injured reserve, ending his season. The specifics or even whether this was the same side is not available.

2024 Seattle Seahawks/Los Angeles Chargers

Foot injury, Week 2, missed 0 games.

Shenault popped up on the injury report with a foot injury following the overtime win over the New England Patriots. He saw most of his snaps on special teams. 

Back/oblique injury, Week 11, missed 1 game.

Depending on the source, Shenault suffered either a back or oblique injury in Week 11 against the San Francisco 49ers, which forced him out of the following contest in Week 12. He played in one more game upon his return before he was waived and picked up by the Los Angeles Chargers to finish the season. 

Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis

Considering his position and positional duties, Laviska Shenault reminds me of Jamison Crowder. A fast difference-maker, Shenault can make plays and force teams to account for him on the field within the offense and special teams. However, both players dealt with a wide variety of injuries throughout their careers. Both also signed one-year deals with the Bills after several years in the league. Both have shown varying levels of production with poor quarterback play.

Looking at the injuries, he has just had so many. The hamstrings are a concern due to the demands of kick returns and wide receiver sprinting down the field and within the offense, jumping for catches. However, his last hamstring strain came back in 2022.

He has had several shoulder injuries, including a torn labrum in college in 2018 that required surgery. Additional details suggest that one of those more recent shoulder injuries was an AC joint sprain, but he has taken several shots to the shoulders over the years. 

His ankle injuries were more unfortunate as high-ankles are the result of getting rolled up on or forced down to the ground and landing back on your own ankle. The specifics of the injury that sent him to injured reserve are not available, which makes it difficult to determine whether there are lasting issues.

He also had a concussion, along with a plantar plate tear in college and surgery for a core muscle repair just before the 2020 NFL Draft. 

There is no pattern to his injuries, and while he has not suffered as many soft tissue injuries as others, he always seems to be dealing with some type of nagging issue. His injury history also reminds me of Chase Claypool who was injured frequently in his career and dealt with a turf toe injury immediately after training camp and never made any contributions before being released. Shenault has also seen his production on offense dwindle at every new stop, with his main contributions at kick return, especially last season. 

Final Thoughts

Over a four-year career, Shenault has missed 15 games. If he wants a spot on the 53-man roster for the 2025 Buffalo Bills, he can’t afford any injuries. His size as a wide receiver has never been an issue, but how he uses his body doesn’t benefit his health, as he is always working through something. I can’t pinpoint one specific injury that I am more concerned about than others, he just has a short rope when it comes to availability due to injuries.

If he can get through training camp healthy, then he could be an effective special-teams player and depth option at wide receiver. He may also become fantasy-relevant with Josh Allen throwing him the ball every week but how many targets he gets in the offense may be limited. For a one-year contract, I like the upside and what potential he once had or possibly still has, but if he begins to miss practice, he may be looking for a new team.

I wish Laviska Shenault the best of luck this season and remains healthy.

Top Photo Credit: Seattle Seahawks