Needing to add a veteran presence at tight end, the Buffalo Bills signed TE Shane Zylstra to a one-year deal.
Zylstra came to the Bills after five years with the Detroit Lions and worked his way up from the practice squad to play in 35 games and starting 6. He has been a steady contributor on offense and heavily contributes on special teams. Despite being a great story about perseverance, Zylstra has also dealt with several injuries that have cost him significant time.
Read below for a full injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2020 Minnesota Vikings/Detroit Lions
No publicly reported injuries.
2021 Lions
Right patellar fracture, Week 16, missed 2 games.
Zylstra suffered a right patellar fracture against the Atlanta Falcons that forced him out of the final two games as he recovered during the offseason.
2022 Lions
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Lions
Right MCL tear knee, preseason, missed entire season.
Zylstra suffered his injury after taking a low but legal hit from teammate CB Khalil Dorsey during preseason practice. He underwent surgery and missed the entire season.
2024 Lions
No publicly reported injuries.
2025 Lions
Right high-ankle sprain, Week 2, missed 11 games.
Zylstra had his ankle rolled up during the Week 2 contest against the Chicago Bears. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the following 11 games.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Zylstra has missed 33 games since entering the NFL in 2020. While that number seems crazy and it is, putting into context that the 2023 season had 20 games, that’s the bulk of the time he dealt with. He also missed extensive time due to his high-ankle sprain last season and adding in the patellar fracture is the cherry on top.
Despite all the injuries, the first thought that comes to my mind is the children’s book series, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. I feel that’s fitting simply due to how many of these injuries have occurred. His patellar fracture is usually the result of a direct blow to the kneecap, can’t stop that.
His MCL tear, he had a teammate hit him low and tore the ligament. How is he supposed to prevent that? And finally, his high-ankle sprain, you can see in the video above that he has a body fall on his right leg. We all know how much they linger and I’m sure when he returned, he still wasn’t right.
Despite all the injuries, I don’t have any concern for Zylstra moving forward. It’s unfortunate what happened but there isn’t any chance of any of these reoccurring or being at risk for further problems, especially on a one-year deal. He may have to increase his proprioceptive awareness to avoid some of these injuries, but sometimes it’s just dumb luck too.
At this point, his talent will be what dictated whether he makes the Bills roster in 2026.
I’d like to welcome Shane Zylstra to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
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