Bills rookie Jacob Bayer tore his ACL. Just five months later, he's back. Inside a 'very uncommon' return

The pops he heard while tumbling to the turf didn’t sound right to Jacob Bayer. The discomfort he felt while being examined didn’t feel right, either. Players know when they’re hurt, and Jacob Bayer’s intuition was confirmed by the Arkansas State athletic training staff.

During a Red Wolves practice on March 30, 2024, Bayer, the reigning first-team All-Sun Belt Conference center, tore his right ACL and damaged the meniscus cartilage. He thought his season was over.

But just as quickly, Bayer’s thoughts changed. Changed 180 degrees. Changed from looking forward instead of back.

His plan: Quickly have surgery, rapidly progress through his rehabilitation and be available for the start of conference play Oct. 5 against South Alabama.

Yes, really.

“Some people told me to wait, because it was risky and other people told me I could do it,” Bayer said.

Bayer listened to the glass-is-half-full people and returned on – wait for it – Sept. 7 against Tulsa, just five months and one week post-injury, a semi-astonishing timetable.

Bayer started Arkansas State’s final 12 games and participated in the Senior Bowl, leading to an undrafted free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills, who completed rookie camp Saturday.

“His levels of toughness and determination were two of the biggest factors (in returning so soon),” said Carter Rowland, Arkansas State’s assistant director of athletic performance. “He has an ability to tolerate pain, and he was determined to get back for his teammates.”

Like all undrafted free agents, Bayer, 22, is a longshot to make the Bills’ initial 53-man roster in September. That doesn’t make his story any less interesting and impressive.

October target date

Bayer grew up in Grandview, Texas, and was an all-state left tackle as a senior. He was a two-star recruit and committed to FCS Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, having also gotten attention from Wyoming, Air Force, Texas State, Columbia and Dartmouth.

At 286 pounds, his days as a tackle were over. Bayer moved to left guard … for only a few days.

“We had a Covid outbreak that first year (in 2021), and fall camp basically didn’t exist – we had one week – and our starting center dropped off the team, and the guy who was supposed to replace him couldn’t snap,” Bayer said.

Bayer raised his hand to play center, with one line on his figurative football résumé.

“I said I played center in junior high,” he said.

Bayer played at Lamar for two seasons and entered the transfer portal. His first visit was to Arkansas State, followed by East Carolina, North Texas and Rice. He committed to the Red Wolves.

Bayer was first-team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2023 and started all 12 games, creating a wave of momentum going into his final spring practice season. But then, the injury.

“I was doing a pass-block, and everything was going to my right and the guy went back to the left, and I went to go back with him and I just fell,” Bayer said.

Once exams showed no other ligament damage, Bayer discussed and activated a plan of action. Bayer was injured on a Saturday, and had surgery on a Tuesday (April 2).

Surgery so soon was the first positive step, said Clint Soppe, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in California and a consultant for Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team.

“Sometimes the injury is so severe, and the knee is so swollen and stiff, we’ll actually wait and let the patient pre-rehab to get their range of motion (improved),” Soppe said.

The general recovery time for a torn ACL, Soppe said, is 9-12 months. The outliers have been former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who returned from ACL/MCL tears in nine months and two weeks (2012), and former Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers, who tore his ACL in late March 2019 and was back for the Tigers’ second game on Sept. 7.

Peterson was a talking point for Bayer and the Arkansas State staff. It … can … be … done.

Post-surgery, Soppe said the general road is stationary bike to elliptical to − around 2½-3 months post-surgery − jogging.

“Potentially, what contributed to his increased speed of recovery is that he doesn’t do as much cutting and change-of-direction as a running back or receiver,” Soppe said.

After surgery, while his Arkansas State teammates went on a brief summer vacation, Bayer stayed on campus and worked 5-6 days per week under the guidance of Rowland, assistant athletic director for sports medicine Eric Ennis and director of nutrition/athletics performance coach Devante Chandler.

“We wanted to get him back training as soon as possible, because the longer you wait, the more the muscles around the knee – the quad and hamstring – atrophy,” Rowland said. “Some athletes want to avoid the discomfort, and because of that, you don’t push yourself back. For Jake, that was never an issue.”

Around the three-month mark, Bayer participated in summer conditioning with his teammates.

“I was able to run straight lines with the team when I wasn’t supposed to be running (yet) in the first place,” he said. “That was a big milestone for me.”

Bayer experienced no significant setbacks over the summer, keeping an October return possible. When the staff noticed fatigue, they would adjust the tempo of the workout. But if they suggested a temporary tapering back?

“He said, ‘No, coach. Let’s go. This was the plan for today,’ ” Rowland said. “He didn’t care if he didn’t feel the best. He wanted to work and push through it.”

When the Red Wolves reported to camp in early August, the Oct. 5 game remained the target date. Until it wasn’t.

Completing the comeback

In August, Bayer participated in warmup and individual drills before going to a side field for lineman-specific conditioning work.

Observed by the Red Wolves’ staff, Bayer would undertake what Rowland called “play drives.” Bayer would push the blocking sled for 4-6 seconds (average length of a play), take 25-30 seconds off and then push the sled again for sets of four, six, eight and 10 plays. He would also do pass-protection work.

By late August, returning in September suddenly became an option.

“He was doing much better than expected in camp,” Rowland said. “I don’t think anybody expected him to be moving as well as he was and tolerating the practices as well as he was. That’s when the conversations started happening.”

Bayer sat out the Red Wolves’ season-opening win over Central Arkansas on Aug. 31. Next up was Tulsa. He was cleared for full contact, but estimated he took “maybe 12” snaps during practice.

As kickoff approached, Bayer said, “I was nervous thinking, ‘Am I still a good football player?’ That game was really tough in terms of how bad the pain was.”

Bayer started the final 12 games, earning second-team All-Sun Belt recognition. His knee swelled up after every game, but he never tapped out. The Red Wolves went 8-5.

“He was one of the undisputed leaders on our team,” Rowland said.

After last month’s draft, the Bills called Bayer with an offer.

“It was take-it-or-leave-it, and I took it,” he said.

Bayer is now taking the opportunity to continue his football journey.

His Arkansas State connections aren’t betting against him.

“He’s one of the most special players I’ve been around from a toughness, character and leadership standpoint,” Rowland said. “It’s very, very uncommon to see his level of commitment.”