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An NFL veteran hopes to return to the gridiron this season.
Nyheim Hines hasn’t played since ending the 2022 season with the Buffalo Bills. The running back and returner tore his ACL during a jet-ski accident in July 2023.
Fans may not have heard the last of Hines yet. The 28-year-old is seeking another opportunity this summer, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Hines believes his knee finally is ready for a return to action,” Schefter wrote, “and he is looking for a new training camp home.”
Hines enjoyed a signature career moment against the New England Patriots.
Six days after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field, Hines opened a Week 18 game by returning a kickoff for a touchdown. He took another kickoff to the house in Buffalo’s 35-23 win over New England to close the 2022 regular season.
Hines then returned six kickoffs for 146 yards in Buffalo’s two playoff games. The 5-foot-9 back hasn’t played since an AFC Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 22, 2023.
Although he mainly played special teams for Buffalo, Hines made a bigger impact as a pass-catching back on the Indianapolis Colts. He tallied 1,725 of his 2,930 scrimmage yards as a receiver in 72 games, setting personal highs with 862 yards and seven touchdowns in 2020.
Hines missed the entire 2023 season recovering from his ACL injury after getting hit by another rider while on a jet ski. The former fourth-round pick signed with the Cleveland Browns last offseason but never made his way back to NFL action.
“I don’t wish an ACL surgery on anybody,” Hines told Kay Adams in April 2024. “It’s tough the first two or three months, but you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in Month 4, 5, 6, 7. Three months ago, I didn’t think I was walking well or running well, and now I’m doing both those things. So I’m thankful for that.”
Hines is running out of time to land an audition before NFL teams begin training camp later this month.
