Needing to bolster the linebacker depth, the Buffalo Bills signed LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to a one-year deal and released WR Max Tomczak.
Flannigan-Fowles comes to Buffalo after spending six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and last year with the New York Giants. Appearing in 83 games and starting 10 games. He has seen his snap counts on defense increase the last few years topping out at 36 percent last year but has seen the majority of his playing time on special teams.
Read below for a fully injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2019 San Francisco 49ers
Foot injury, practice squad injured reserve.
He spent the season on the practice squad before being placed on the practice squad injured reserve to end the season.
2020 49ers
Hamstring, Week 8, missed 3 games.
He suffered a hamstring strain in Week 8 and missed the following three games, four weeks total including the bye.
2021 49ers
No publicly reported injuries.
2022 49ers
Knee, Week 6 missed, 0 games.
Neck, Week 18, missed 0 games.
2023 49ers
Ankle, Week 3, missed 0 games. questionable play
Flannigan-Fowles suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 that led to his appearance on the injury report and a questionable designation heading into the game.
Ankle, Week 7, missed 0 games.
He suffered an ankle injury in the second half of the Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings and exited the game early.
Ankle, Week 9, missed 1 game.
Illness, Week 17, missed 0 games.
2024 49ers
Calf, Week 4, missed 2 games.
Flannigan-Fowles appeared to suffer a calf injury in either Week 3 or the practice leading up to Week 4, causing him to miss the next two games.
Knee, Week 12, missed 2 games.
He suffered a knee injury in the third quarter that forced him to exit and miss the following two games.
Knee, Week 16, missed 0 games.
Calf, Week 17, missed 1 game.
Flannigan-Fowles suffered a calf injury in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions and was unable to practice the next week leaving him doubtful and out of Week 19.
2025 New York Giants
Calf, Week 2, missed 2 games.
He appeared to suffer a practice injury ahead of Week 2 which led to him being downgraded and missing the following two games.
Hamstring, Week 6, missed 2 games.
Flannigan-Fowles suffered a hamstring injury in the Friday practice prior to Week 6 and missed two
Pectoral, Week 9, missed 0 games.
Illness, Week 12, missed 0 games.
Neck/Knee, Week 12, missed 1 game.
He played through an illness heading into Week 12 before suffering neck and knee injuries that forced him out of the following game.
Illness/Neck, Week 13, missed 0 games.
Illness, Week 16, missed 1 game.
He missed the Week 17 contest due to illness and was on the following week without a designation.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Flannigan-Fowles has missed 15 games since entering the league in 2019. That doesn’t include the injured reserve stint he had while on practice squad either. Looking at his injury history, it’s filled with various injuries including multiple hamstring and calf strains along with your garden variety ankle and knee injuries. He has the pectoral injury that he played through along with a neck issue that pops up from time to time.
Looking at his snap counts, we see that he has more injuries when his playing time increases on defense. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when a primarily special teams player is seeing more snaps on their particular side of the ball, that doesn’t always mean that the player is suited to be playing for an extended time. The 2024 49ers were 6-11 and the 2025 Giants were 4-13 with both teams dealing with injuries. This also means Flannigan-Fowles likely had to play through more issues due to the lack of depth available as he was the depth. Over the last two seasons, he has missed 11 of his 15 total games.
I’m not necessarily worried about any particular injuries other than the calf issues over the last two seasons which we know can linger. I’d love to know more about his neck injuries but considering he has been a depth player most of his career, that information often doesn’t exist. He may just be pushing his body to the top of his abilities and playing through injuries to be available for his team.
Flannigan-Fowles appears to be a fine depth and special teams signing, but if he’s seeing the majority of defensive snaps this season, there’s some big issues with injuries higher up the depth chart. I hope he can contribute and be a veteran presence especially with all the postseason experience he has. This isn’t a knock on Flannigan-Fowles, but the Bills will likely be in trouble if he’s starting Week 16 in the middle of the defense.
I’d like to welcome Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Discover more from Banged Up Bills
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
