Unsatisfied with their wide receiver depth or punt return options, the Buffalo Bills signed WR Greg Dortch to their practice squad on Monday following his release from the Detroit Lions. Dortch comes to Buffalo after playing across the league, with his greatest success coming with the Arizona Cardinals.
Read below for a full injury history and analysis.
Injury History
College
2017 Wake Forest
Small intestine perforation, vs Louisville, missed 5 games.
Dortch fell on an end zone pylon while scoring a touchdown against Louisville. He did not know it at the time, but he had punctured his small intestine and required emergency surgery to correct the damage, which ended his season. Make sure to read the entire story linked above.
NFL
2019 New York Jets/Carolina Panthers/Los Angeles Rams
No publicly reported injuries.
2020 Atlanta Falcons
No publicly reported injuries.
2021 Arizona Cardinals
No publicly reported injuries.
2022 Arizona Cardinals
Back, Week 3, missed 0 games.
After being limited Wednesday and Thursday, Dortch was able to practice in full and had no designation
Groin, Week 10, missed 0 games.
Dortch was a late addition to the injury report ahead of Week 10 with a groin injury but suited up despite being questionable.
Thumb, Week 11, missed 1 game.
Dortch suffered a thumb sprain in the Week 11 contest against the San Francisco 49ers and was unable to practice the following week, declared questionable but missing Week 12. Despite being on the injury report the following week, he practiced in full and had no designation
Knee, Week 15, missed 0 games.
2023 Cardinals
Ankle, Week 8, missed 1 game.
Dortch suffered an ankle injury during the last practice day before Week 8, and despite being designated as questionable, he was ultimately ruled out. He was also declared questionable the following week and played but had an increased role in the offense, seeing 22 snaps along with his normal workload at special teams.
Shoulder, Week 15, missed 0 games.
Dortch was unable to practice the first two practice days prior to Week 16 before getting a limited practice in and suiting up in 78 percent of the offense snaps along with his duties on special teams.
2024 Cardinals
Hamstring, Week 3, missed 0 games.
After suffering a hamstring injury during the final practice day, Dortch still suited up despite being questionable and secured 3 receptions for 35 yards and appeared in 66 percent of offensive snaps.
2025 Cardinals
Collarbone, Week 4, missed 0 games.
Despite being limited all week, Dortch suited up due to a collarbone injury but appeared in just 5 offensive snaps and his regular special teams workload.
Chest, Week 13, missed 5 games.
Dortch suffered a chest injury in Week 13 and was placed on injured reserve to finish the season, missing the last 5 games.
2026 Detroit Lions
No publicly reported injuries.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Looking at his injuries, he doesn’t carry a lot of concerns. He has only missed seven career games, with five of them coming in the 2025 season in the middle of an eventual nine-game losing streak to finish the season. I would like to know more about his chest injury, which could have been something such as multiple rib fractures, a pectoral strain, or even a lung contusion. There aren’t any reports that he required surgery and any of those previously mentioned injuries heal reliably well. He has also had multiple other smaller injuries that he either played through or missed minimal time.
The only crazy injury that Dortch dealt with was the small intestine perforation in 2017 when he was at Wake Forest. This was the result of falling on a pylon in the end zone but he managed to play the entire game before realizing something was wrong later. This condition was severe enough to potentially kill him had he not had it addressed immediately. Fortunately, he had the necessary surgery, missed the final five games of the season, and returned to play the following season. Credit Dr. Jimmy Liao, injury analyst covering the Detroit Lions, for finding that injury when Dortch signed with the Lions in March. Read more of his work here.
Dortch enters the 2026 season having played in 68 NFL games with some notable production on offense as a depth option but a ton of experience on both kick and punt return. While he is on the practice squad to start, there is definitely a clear path towards moving up to the active roster as injuries or poor performance affect the roster elsewhere.
He fits a need, can fill in as a depth role at wide receiver, and he has a ton of familiarity with the Bills’ current special teams coordinator, Jeff Rodgers.
There isn’t anything to dislike about this signing, even if this was initially on the active roster and Dortch can make a real difference here.
I want to welcome Greg Dortch to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: FOX Sports
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