On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills signed S Darrick Forrest to a one-year deal to solidify their secondary. Forrest comes to Buffalo after completing his four-year rookie contract with Washington. Having started 17 games, with most of those coming in 2022 and 2023, he comes with plenty of experience but appeared to fall out of favor following the new coaching regime this past season.
On top of experience starting, he also has a lot of experience on special teams, which will serve him well with a safety room comprised of Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, and Damar Hamlin. With all the positives that Forrest brings, he also has several injuries that have cost him time at different points in his career.
Read below for a full injury history on Darrick Forrest and analysis.
Injury History
NFL
2021 Washington Commanders
Hamstring strain, preseason, missed 8 games, on IR.
Forrest started his rookie season on injured reserve as he worked through a hamstring strain likely suffered in the preseason. There is minimal information on how he injured the muscle or how severe it was, but he did not make his NFL debut until Week 9, after being activated on November 2 after ramping up to play two weeks prior.
COVID, Week 15, missed 1 game.
Forrest was placed on the COVID/Reserve list several days after Week 14 and was forced to miss the next week.
2022 Commanders
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Commanders
Shoulder fracture, Week 5, missed 12 games, on IR.
At some point during the game against the Chicago Bears, Forrest suffered a shoulder fracture, which ended his season. There isn’t a lot of detail regarding how or where he suffered the fracture, but it’s entirely possible he suffered a scapular fracture. The injury was severe enough that it ended his season.
2024 Commanders
Hamstring strain, preseason.
Forrest suffered a hamstring injury in the first week of preseason practice, which forced him out of roughly two and a half weeks of practice before returning for the preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Forrest has had several notable injuries that have cost him considerable time, but overall, minimal concern moving forward. His fractured shoulder may be the most significant injury from his career, which was likely a scapular fracture.
Considering he played in 95 percent of the snaps the game he suffered the injury, I expect that he injured the shoulder and found out later the extent of the damage. This appears very similar to what Cole Bishop suffered last preseason, but with both of the injuries, there are no lasting concerns.
Looking at the hamstring strains, they were several years apart, and he did not appear to have any lingering issues lasting into the season. It’s not necessarily concerning or surprising that he suffered a hamstring strain, but he has not been on the injury report frequently with the same issue. Both injuries appear to be isolated, and it’s not clear if it was even the same leg. Considering his positional demands and playing on special teams, these types of injuries do happen occasionally but does not appear to be a chronic issue.
Final Thoughts
From all that I’ve read, Forrest fell out of favor with the new coaching staff this past season, which likely led to his exit. The Bills’ signing him to a one-year deal indicates they see him as a depth option but will make him prove he can earn a new contract after 2025.
There are no real concerns for Forrest moving forward from an injury perspective, it just comes down to how much the Bills can maximize his use. He is very much in the mix to have a chance to start next season. He would also be first up if injuries were to occur which suggests there may not be a drop off in quality of play.
I wish Darrick Forrest the best of luck this season and to remain healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Greg Fiume/Getty Images
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