Injury Analysis: Buffalo Bills RB Ian Wheeler

Needing to address the running back depth prior to training camp following the injury to Desmond Reid, the Bills signed Ian Wheeler on Thursday. 

Wheeler comes to Buffalo after initially breaking into the NFL as a UDFA with the Chicago Bears until an injury derailed his 2024 campaign. He’s since bounced around the NFL and UFL having to prove himself once again. 

Read below for a full injury history and analysis. 

Injury History

NFL

2024 Chicago Bears 

Left ACL tear, preseason, vs Kansas City, missed entire season. 

Wheeler suffered an ACL tear in the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. According to this clip from Hard Knocks, this was his left knee he injured. 

2025 Bears/New Orleans Saints

Undisclosed injury, started season on NFI.

Wheeler began training camp on the non-football injury list and stayed there for three days before being activated. 

Undisclosed injury, preseason, received injury settlement. 

He was released with an injury settlement prior to roster cut downs for what looked to be a minor injury. This was evident by the fact that he had a workout several weeks later with Minnesota. In November, he signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad. 

UFL

2026 Louisville Kings

Concussion, Week 3, missed 1 game. 

Wheeler suffered a concussion against the Orlando Storm in Week 3 that prevented him from practicing the following week and missing the game. 

Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis

Wheeler has certainly had opportunities provided to him and he has made the most of when he has been asked to perform. Unfortunately, injuries have gotten in the way starting with his ACL tear in the preseason, costing him his rookie season. 

He also had the undisclosed injury that appeared to be ill-timed at the end of the 2025 preseason which saw him get some looks but no playing time until signing in the UFL. There, he only dealt with a concussion before he came back to ultimately be named the United Bowl MVP in the championship game. 

The immediate concerns are the risk for another ACL tear as the risk for another tear within two years is elevated. However, he will be roughly two years removed by the time training camp kicks off and the way he’s running in the clip below, that tells me he has no second thoughts about his ability to play. 

He’s a running back and is going to take a beating given the position so injuries will happen. My only concern is that he’s coming off a full 12 game slate of games, gets a brief break, and then heads into another six months of football. On one hand, he’s physically in shape, ready to go. But on the other hand, how will his body respond to a full year of contact football? Will he be working through any nagging issues we are unaware of? Will his body begin to fatigue midway through the NFL season? 

We’ve seen guys that are good enough to be signed from the CFL and UFL to an NFL roster but at times struggle to hang on the active roster. I don’t think anyone in Wheeler’s position says no to another shot at the NFL. But I do have some concerns how his body will hold up essentially playing a full year of tackle football. There’s not enough time for adequate recovery. If he can grind out the preseason and find himself on the active roster or even practice squad, then he can get into a normal rhythm as he pursues his NFL dream. 

With the help of Claude, I ran the player’s names through their AI software to find the guys who went from the UFL to the NFL last year to see what guys made an impact. Claude found RB Jacob Saylors of the Detroit Lions and WR Malik Turner of the San Francisco 49ers who got regular season work in. Turner played in 3 games while Saylors saw a ton of work as a return specialist, playing in 16 games. 

My concerns are less about his prior injuries than whether his body can withstand the spring season followed by the fall season. He has the talent to play, that’s not in question. These concerns would go for anyone in his position going from the UFL to the NFL. Jacob Saylors showed it’s possible, especially at his position, but it appears to be more talent versus injury at this point. 

I’d like to welcome Ian Wheeler to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season. 

Top Photo Credit: UFL Newsroom