Injury analysis: Buffalo Bills OL Greg Mancz

Another veteran lineman looking to provide depth

Looking for offensive line depth, the Buffalo Bills signed former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Greg Mancz to a one-year deal on Monday. Appearing in 63 career games and starting 32, Mancz brings a wealth of versatility and experience at both center and guard.

Year after year, experienced depth at the offensive line has come in handy and, at times, been the missing key to unlock offensive firepower or rushing attacks. Mancz appears to bring the necessary depth in order to get through the long season and postseason.

Below is the publicly known injury history for Greg Mancz.

Injury History

2015 Houston Texans

Appeared in three games. Mancz went undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder during the East-West Shrine Bowl. This required him to have surgery to repair the damage, causing him to fall out of the draft. He was able to rehab and pass his physical in order to be ready for the regular season.

He saw action in three games before suffering a knee injury, side not specified, in practice prior to Week 9. The injury required surgery, ending his season. Reports did not specify what specific injury he suffered.

2016 Texans

Appeared in 16 games with 16 starts. Did not appear on the injury report that required a game-day designation.

2017 Texans

Appeared in ten games, starting seven. Mancz suffered a knee injury, side not specified, in a Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots, forcing him to miss the next three contests. Unfortunately, the details of that injury are also not available.

He returned to play in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks and then against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10, suffering a knee injury. It’s unclear whether this was an aggravation of the prior knee injury or a new instance. He was forced out of the Week 11 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. However, he missed the following contest in Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens with a shoulder injury with details unavailable regarding the specifics.

2018 Texans

Appeared in 16 games, starting four. Did not appear on the injury report that required a game-day designation.

2019 Texans

Appeared in nine games, starting one. Mancz suffered an ankle injury in the preseason against the Green Bay Packers that forced him to miss Weeks 1 and 2. It was later revealed that he required arthroscopic surgery following the season.

Returning in Week 3, he played several snaps on special teams before getting a bulk of the playing time in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. In the game, he suffered a concussion on a hit late in the game, forcing him out of the next five contests.

2020 Texans

Appeared in four games, starting zero. Did not appear on the injury report that required a game-day designation.

2021 Baltimore Ravens/Miami Dolphins

Appeared in five games, starting four. In the offseason, Mancz signed a reserve/futures deal with the Ravens before being traded with a 2022 seventh-round pick in late August to the Dolphins for a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Mancz suffered a groin injury in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, forcing him out of Week 7. Shortly after returning, he suffered yet another ankle injury that forced him to injured reserve, missing four games. It’s not clear how he injured the ankle, but considering the injured reserve rules changed in 2020 to allow for shorter time frames to return, there are a lot of possible diagnoses.

Buffalo Bills Impact

Mancz has at times had trouble staying healthy, missing 26 games plus one playoff game over his seven seasons. This is very likely a reason why he didn’t last long in Miami and signed a cheap deal to come to Buffalo.

He has the ability to play and be available at times but, hopefully, he’s someone who doesn’t see the field often due to injuries elsewhere along the line. However, if he is called upon, he does have enough experience to get the job done before the starter returns. I’m not too concerned about any specific injury, but the lessened exposure to playing should decrease his injury risks.

I see the benefit in signing offensive linemen to cheap deals; there’s simply never enough depth at the position. Unless he has a stellar training camp and wins a starting guard spot, his path to the roster is probably as a reserve who can play when needed. This signing indicates that the front office continues to value offensive linemen as essential depth.