In order to fill out their practice squad after several roster transactions, the Buffalo Bills signed Phidarian Mathis on Wednesday. The former second round draft pick in 2022 comes to the Bills after spending several seasons with the Washington Commanders and most recently, the New York Jets.
Mathis has generally not lived up to his draft selection mostly due to injuries early in his career. He looks for a new start with Buffalo and the chance to continue his career.
Read below for a full injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2022 Washington Commanders
Left knee meniscus tear, Week 1, missed 16 games.
Mathis tore his left meniscus when he was blocked into where the ball carrier was tackled, bending his knee during his third NFL snap. Tests later revealed the severity of the tear, forcing him to undergo surgery to repair the area and miss the remainder of the season.
2023 Commanders
Calf strain, preseason, placed on injured reserve, missed 7 games.
In his first game back after his meniscus tear, he tweaked his calf and was able to return before leaving again against the Cleveland Browns. He was placed on injured reserve after roster cut downs and missed the first seven games of the season.
2024 Commanders/New York Jets
No publicly reported injuries.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Missing a season and a half of football is a huge detriment to any player regardless of their draft position. Much of his NFL injury history has been bad luck considering how he tore his meniscus and then the calf strain in his first action back.
Looking at each injury, the meniscus is of minimal concern as he had it repaired rather than trimmed. The re-tear rates are low for meniscus repairs in athletes at 8.7 percent, according to the literature. There are also low osteoarthritis rates for repairs rather than trims, with over 80 percent showing no arthritic changes over eight years compared to 40 percent with meniscectomies over the same time period. While I do not expect Mathis to stay that long, there is minimal concern about his knee breaking down.
His calf injury is more worrisome as it is more recent, but he has not lingered on the injury report since the original injury. He is not immune to further soft tissue injuries, but there does not appear to be a consistent pattern.
Overall, this is a fine signing for the Bills. They take a former second-round selection at a position where they need extra depth. His injury history likely pushed him down the depth chart in Washington, and with new coaching changes came personnel changes. It’s hard to say whether he will see any game action, but he could be a nice developmental piece to get in the building now rather than fight to acquire during free agency.
There is really no downside to this, and there may still be untapped potential.
I would like to welcome Phidarian Mathis to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: Hogs Haven/SB Nation
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