Before training camp even begins, the Bills have lost a crucial special teams and offensive contributor. According to a source, running back Nyheim Hines sustained a season-ending injury to his left ACL while away from the team’s facilities.
Hines, 26, was hit by a jet ski and has a knee injury that would need surgery at some time, according to ESPN and various accounts. According to ESPN and several sources, he was sitting on a motionless jet ski when he was hit.
According to the source, Hines received no life-threatening injuries, such as damage to his liver or kidney. It is expected and hoped that he would return to football for the 2024 season.
It was not immediately clear when or where Hines was injured.
Hines was expected to enter camp as the team’s main kick and punt returner and fight for running back possibilities alongside Damien Harris and Latavius Murray, both of whom were added this summer. The Bills acquired Hines from the Colts at the trade deadline last year in exchange for running back Zack Moss and a fifth-round selection.
Hines was seldom utilised on offence during the 2022 season, finishing with 13 total touches.
“I think it will be easier in the offseason to get into the whole playbook, get the feel,” general manager Brandon Beane said of Hines’ lack of touches at the conclusion of last season. “You install a lot more things than you do during the season.” So, certainly, in an ideal scenario, I would have liked to see him have more touches, and perhaps that will happen next season.”
During the regular season, he had 16 punt returns and 19 kick returns. Hines’ two kickoff returns for touchdowns against the New England Patriots in the last game of the regular season, the first since Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac death in Cincinnati, will be remembered for a long time in Bills history. Deonte Harty, a wide receiver, is a candidate for the returner position, while Khalil Shakir also has some experience.
The running back room was restructured this summer, with second-year back James Cook likely to take on a larger role now that Devin Singletary has joined the Houston Texans. Without Hines, the choices after Cook, Harris, and Murray are larger backs, with the exception of undrafted free agent Jordan Mims, who may now receive more opportunities in camp. With Hines’ injury, it would not be surprising to see the club add to the group, considering there are now just four backs on the roster for camp, particularly one with pass-catching talents.
Veterans arrived in camp on Tuesday, with the first practise scheduled on Wednesday at St John Fisher University in Rochester, New York.
This summer, Hines’ deal was adjusted to cut his cap cost for this year from $4.79 million to $3.5 million, saving the organisation around $1.3 million. He also earned a $1 million signing bonus, which will be spread out over this year and next, for a total of $2 million guaranteed on his deal.
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