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Bills Injury Breakdown: Nyheim Hines

Originally posted on Buffalo Fanatics | By Alex Lucci | Last updated 7/25/23

News broke on Monday morning that Nyheim Hines suffered an ACL injury and will require surgery. This will effectively end his 2023 season and, potentially, his Buffalo Bills tenure. The mechanism of injury carries an element of drama because it may have contract implications.

The Injury

What we know is that Hines has an ACL tear, and it will require surgery. The timeline to return is predictable. The Bills RB and KR will have a reconstruction that has an average return to play timeline of 10.8 months (1). Assuming he has surgery this week, you should expect a full return by 2024 training camp.

#Bills RB Nyheim Hines suffered a significant knee injury off-site and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season, sources tell me and @RapSheet.

A tough break for Buffalo and the versatile Hines, who was acquired at the trade deadline last fall. pic.twitter.com/5nMtV6xtAd
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 24, 2023

For those unaware, here’s the standard surgery for an ACL reconstruction:

Mechanism of Injury

The drama to this story is the mechanism. Tom Pelissero had this to say on the cause of injury:

While sitting stationary on a jet ski, Nyheim Hines was struck by another rider and sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Hines will require surgery and will miss the 2023 season. https://t.co/hR1VVD7BmW
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 24, 2023

The wording of his tweet seems very particular. Jet skiing may be a banned activity in Hines’ contract, thus potentially opening the door for Buffalo to void his contract.

Thankfully, Nyheim Hines didn’t suffered any life-threatening injuries. Nonetheless, there may be a contractual dispute if the Buffalo Bills decide to void his contract. Hines is currently under contract though 2024. His 2023 cap number is $3.5 million. If released, the team will save $2 million with a $1.5M dead cap charge. If he remains on the roster and is placed on the IR, the team will carry his $3.5 cap number through the remainder of the season.

Moving back to the medical side, in my opinion, an ACL tear would be more likely to occur while riding a jet ski, whereas a leg fracture would be more common if one was crashed into by another driver. This is not to say that the current report is not accurate, as anything could happen in an accident.

Citation

Shah VM, Andrews JR, Fleisig GS, McMichael CS, Lemak LJ. Return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in National Football League athletes. Am J Sports Med. 2010 Nov; 38 (11): 2233-9. doi: 10.1177/0363546510372798. Epub 2010 Jul 7. PMID: 20610771.

This article first appeared on Buffalo Fanatics and was syndicated with permission.

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