Buffalo Bills 2025 Training Camp Injury Analysis

The 2025 Buffalo Bills preseason has concluded, and once again, injuries were a huge theme and affected how they prepared. This was such an issue that head coach Sean McDermott highlighted how difficult it was to practice when there were not enough bodies to run drills. They attempted to alter practices to reduce the chances of injury to no avail. The Buffalo Bills simply were beaten up a lot this preseason.

This time period is necessary for players to get calloused up and ready for the season, but plenty of players missed crucial reps for their development. Injuries are going to happen, that’s partially why rosters are increased, but workloads need to be managed to ensure the health of every player.

After posing a question to both Sal Capaccio and Matt Bove on It’s Always Gameday in Buffalo about the perception of injuries this preseason in 2024, Sal posed his question as to whether the data existed to show that injuries were up compared to previous seasons. Here at Banged Up Bills, meticulous reporting and attention to detail allow the data to be tabulated.

Read below for an in-depth analysis of the preseason injuries year by year and takeaways from the data to see how 2025 compared to 2024 when the study was originally completed. This also allows for a comparison against past seasons.

Parameters

• All data was taken from media reports during the preseason from 2018-2025. This timeframe is done for two reasons. 2018 is when Nate Breske was hired as the new head Athletic Trainer, and 2018 dates back to when Banged Up Bills had consistently tracked preseason injuries.
• Each player was considered one instance in the data sets, even if they had multiple injuries during the preseason. The objective was to determine how many players were affected by injury, not necessarily how many injuries total. Several instances saw a player originally injured in practice and aggravate the injury in a game.
• Every player reported was included, whether they were out for a vet rest, general soreness, or an actual injury. Timelines for missed time are not considered because injury settlements are provided in different cases, and the timing of injury prevents an accurate assessment of how long an injury takes to recover from in the preseason.
• The objective is to determine if the number of players injured during the preseason increased compared to prior seasons and also look at certain injury metrics, including soft tissue/type, concussions, whether the injury occurred in practice or preseason game, and if the player was new to the team that season. 
• To read last year’s article, please click here.

Preseason Yearly Injuries

2018

25 players

6 soft tissue (24%)

2 hamstrings

0 calf

4 groin

19 sprains/other (76%)

0 concussions

14 game injuries  (56%)

14 new players (56%)

2019

35 players

12 soft tissue (35%)

3 hamstring

0 calf

4 groin

22 sprains/other (64%)

3 concussion

9 game injuries (26%)

15 new players (41%)

2020

25 {27}players

4 soft tissue (16%)

2 hamstring

0 calf

0 groin

21 sprains/other (84%) 

1 concussion

0 game injuries (no games)

9 new players (36%)

{Illness}

2021

36 {43} players

5 soft-tissue (14%)

2 hamstring

3 calf

0 groin

25 sprains/other (69%)

2 concussion

14 game injuries (39%)

6 COVID

9 (13) new players (25%) 

{Illness/COVID}

2022

33 players 

5 soft tissue (15%)

3 hamstring

2 calf

0 groin

28 sprains/other (85%)

1 concussion

11 game injuries (33%)

12 new players (36%)

2023

34 players

12 soft tissue (35%)

6 hamstring

3 calf

5 groin

22 sprains/other (65%)

2 concussions

7 game injuries (21%) 

11 new players (32%)

2024

47 players

16 soft tissue (34%)

6 hamstring

4 calf

4 groin

31 sprains/other (66%)

2 concussions

9 game injuries (19%)

23 new players (49%)

2025

67 players

19 soft tissue (28%) 

9 hamstrings

7 calf

2 groin

39 sprains/other (58%)

2 concussions 

7 undisclosed (11%)

10 game injuries (15%)

21 new players (32%)

2018-2025 Averages

38.87 players

9.87 soft tissue

4.12 hamstrings

1.5 calf

2.37 groin

25.87 sprains/other

1.37 concussions

10.57 game injuries (7 seasons)

14.75 new players

2018-2024 Averages

33.57 players 

8.57 soft tissue 

3.42 hamstrings 

1.71 calf

2.42 groin

24 sprains/other

1.57 concussions 

10.6 game injuries (6 seasons)

13.28 new players 

Takeaways

The 2025 preseason saw a 42 percent increase in reported injuries over the next highest season (2024). Compared to averages from 2018-2024, 2025 saw a 99 percent increase in injury reporting. Adding in 2025 to the averages, this is still 72 percent above average. The last two preseasons have had the most injuries reported when compared to previous years.

• The Bills had a total of 110 players pass through training camp, including players signed at the end of camp when roster cut downs and practice squad were set. With 67 players total affected by injury/vet rest, this equated to 61 percent of players who suited up for the Buffalo Bills this preseason missing time, requiring attention from the medical staff, or suffering an injury that limited them in some way. 

• The volume of injuries was significant this year, 20 more players than last year, when comparing apples to apples. While vet rests are not technically injuries, they are designed so that players don’t overwork and suffer injury.
• 29 offensive players, 36 defensive players, and 2 special teams is how the different units broke down. 
• The 2025 preseason saw a significant increase in hamstring injuries, with 9 compared to the 3.42 overall from 2018-2024.
• Calf injuries were way up compared to historical averages, with 7 this preseason compared to the average of 1.71 from 2018-2024.
• Groin injuries continue to stay consistent year-to-year against historical averages.  
• Concussions continued to stay consistent with roughly two concussions reported each year since 2023.  
• Most of the injuries reported in the 2025 preseason were due to practice, with 85 percent of injuries occurring then.
• Over half of the injuries in 2025 were due to sprains, with the total number a slight uptick from historical averages.
• 11 percent of the players in 2025 were undisclosed injuries which skews the true reporting of the numbers. There were only four players who had a vet rest that did not have another injury this preseason. 
• The number of new players suffering injuries stayed up (20+ players) compared to historical averages of 13 players. It’s still not clear whether players are having difficulty adjusting to the Bills program.

Limitations of the study

• The Bills do generally provide a specific designation as to why a player is out for that practice or game. There are times when it is described as general soreness or undisclosed, with no additional information. The lack of specificity affects accuracy when looking at injury rates, especially in 2025.

• Some injuries are not publicly released, or players do not miss time, which affects the true number of each injury.

• Accuracy of reporting may have affected numbers if a player was inadvertently missed during research or not included in weekly articles. 

Conclusion

The volume of injuries or guys missing practice was significantly increased this preseason. This was enough of an issue that it prevented the coaching staff from running practice how they wanted. They had to cut back or find ways to maximize the players they already had just to practice.

The Bills’ medical staff is very aware of the volume of injuries and makes every effort to minimize its impact. The soft tissue injuries appeared to be more prevalent early in camp and when it was hotter out. I have asked questions without an answer as to any changes the Bills made to practice that led to more injuries. This medical staff is incredibly intelligent and qualified to help these players daily and ensure they can stay on the field.

I don’t have a good answer for why there were so many more injuries this year. 42 percent is a significant jump from last season. And for this year’s numbers to virtually double the historical averages is notable. I am also aware that some of these injuries probably don’t get reported on the injury report during the season, such as the Connor McGovern hamstring injury. But it is still an injury. 

This isn’t meant for shock and awe. There is no manufactured outrage or trying to push an agenda. This is simply to quantify the increased volume and types of injuries the Buffalo Bills deal with every preseason. It’s not as though last year’s injuries led to a poor season either. There were no season-ending injuries, and the Bills still made it to the AFC Championship. This does support the notion that injuries are fluky to some extent. I haven’t seen a correlation between injuries in the preseason and how that affects the outcome of that season. Just like how preseason games don’t dictate the regular season record. But it is still a discussion worth having.

If you have any insight that I’ve missed or need to add to the discussion, I’m more than happy to listen. I can be reached at kyletrimble88@gmail.com or at BangedUpBills on every social media platform. 

Top Photo Credit: BillsWire/USA Today