The first move of the 2026 free agency by the Buffalo Bills came with the signing of former Atlanta Falcons CB Dee Alford to a 3-year, $21M contract on Monday afternoon.
Alford comes to Buffalo after four years in Atlanta where he was a UDFA after starting for a year in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he helped them win the Grey Cup in 2021. He parlayed that success into a futures contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 and has been there ever since.
Read below for a full injury breakdown and analysis of Dee Alford.
Injury History
CFL
2021 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
No publicly reported injuries.
Alford did appear in 14 out of a possible 18 games. However, I have found CFL injury information to be incredibly difficult to track down.
NFL
2022 Atlanta Falcons
Hamstring, Week 6, missed 1 game.
Alford suffered a hamstring strain in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers that prevented him from practicing the following week and ruled out for Week 7.
2023 Falcons
Ankle, Week 9, missed 1 game.
Alford played in his normal number of snaps in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings before suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He was forced to exit and was unable to practice most of the following week before being ruled out in Week 10. He was limited the following week and had no designation in Week 11.
2024 Falcons
Concussion, Week 5, missed 0 games.
Alford appeared in just 8 defensive snaps before exiting with a concussion and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Fortunately, this was on a short week and he had 10 days to make it through the protocol.
Hamstring, Week 10, missed 1 game,
Alford suffered a hamstring strain after just 15 defensive snaps in the loss to the New Orleans Saints. He missed the Week 11 game and had a bye week in Week 12 which allowed him to return to the field in Week 13.
Groin, Week 17, missed 0 games.
Alford played through a groin strain in the Week 17 loss to the Washington Commanders. He was limited early in the week going into Week 18 before getting a full practice in and had no designation.
2025 Falcons
Concussion, Week 10, missed 1 game.
Alford lasted just 12 snaps in the Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He was limited the next week but could not clear protocol for Week 11 before returning in Week 12
Illness, Week 16, missed 0 games.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Two hamstring strains two years apart, two concussions a year apart, and an ankle injury are pretty much the extent of Dee Alford’s publicly reported injury history.
The hamstrings and even groin strains are unfortunately common with someone at Alford’s position and he did not miss much time as a result. Find me a cornerback without a history of some type of hamstring, groin, or calf injury at some point, I’ll wait. It’s notable but not something to worry about.
The concussions are noteworthy but considering he has only had two isn’t all that concerning. There is an older study that showed three or more concussions led to a three times increase of another concussion compared to players without a history of concussion. However, this is an older study and may not be the best example of concussion risks. There is a more recent study that showed that football players suffer concussions 80 percent of the time in games and have a 7.4 percent incidence.
While this seems somewhat concerning, this is far better than the player that Alford is replacing, Taron Johnson. The veteran All Pro had I believe five concussions during his Bills career along with numerous injuries including hamstring and groin strains that cost him more time than Alford has dealt with.
Overall, from an injury perspective, I don’t have concerns. The Bills got someone that’s younger, cheaper, healthier, and more versatile to the new defensive scheme than Taron Johnson would have been. To have a better understanding of what Alford brings to the Bills, check this tweet out from Cover 1’s Erik Turner.
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t familiar with Dee Alford’s game prior to signing with the Bills, but I have no concerns moving forward. His cap hits are solid as mentioned above, the contract is reasonable, and he carries no long-term injury concerns.
I’d like to welcome Dee Alford to Buffalo and to remain healthy this year.
Top Photo Credit: J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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