Injury analysis: Buffalo Bills CB Akeem King

Following the return of CB E.J. Gaines, it seemed like the CB2 position would be a dogfight with so much talent among the likes of Josh Norman, Levi Wallace, Cam Lewis, and Dane Jackson. However, with Gaines opting out for the 2020 season, the Buffalo Bills wasted no time bringing in more experience at the position via CB Akeem King. After a couple stops within the NFC, King comes to Buffalo in hopes of extending his career. The information below details his known injuries so far.

Injury History

San Jose State

King did not appear to suffer any known injuries during his time as a Spartan, playing in 33 games with most of his starts coming in his junior and senior seasons.

2015

Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round, he was initially placed on the practice squad following camp cuts. He was eventually elevated to the active roster late in the season, appearing in five games. He did not appear on the injury report during this time.

2016

King was placed on injured reserve during camp cut-down day with a foot injury. He spent the entirety of the season on IR following a preseason where he appeared to battle the foot injury he could not ultimately overcome.

2017

He spent the offseason with the Falcons before getting cut, eventually getting signed to the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad. He never saw the active roster as he suffered an undisclosed injury while on the practice squad and was placed on injured reserve.

2018

The Seahawks brought him back for training camp before cutting him during the cut-down day. He was able to be brought back the following week where he appeared in all 16 games without any injuries per the injury report.

2019

King managed to stay with the Seahawks out of training camp, appearing in 13 games with several starts, but mostly as a reserve role. It appears he missed three games due to being inactive and not due to any known injuries.

Bills Injury Impact

King brings experience at the cornerback position and is familiar with special teams coach Heath Farwell. He also brings with him two injuries that have virtually no information as to the severity. It’s common to have a team hold onto a player with an IR designation coming out of camp in order to let him develop. That may have been the case in 2016. What is concerning is the injury that led to a practice squad injured reserve placement for Seattle. It was severe enough that he got shut down for the year. From my observations, this isn’t something that happens often.

He passed a physical and may not make it out of camp unless injuries occur at the cornerback position. He will probably see the field or at least the practice squad at some point due to the roster restrictions in bringing free agents in.

A free agent may only be brought in if there is a roster spot. They then must go through COVID testing over a five-day period, preventing them from getting any meaningful on-field time with the team before the next game. The Bills are going to want to have a list of players they already know to bring in and play ASAP. Looking at how vital health is this season, as compared to previous seasons, it’s not a matter of if King makes the roster, but when.