Running through the tunnel onto St. John Fisher University's practice fields at the end of July, new Bills running back Ian Wheeler can feel the emotions of his journey coursing through him.
Less than two months before the first day of NFL training camp, Wheeler was busy winning a championship with the United Football League's Louisville Kings, taking home United Bowl MVP honors in the process.
Buffalo inked him to a contract just five days after his 81-yard, one touchdown performance with the Kings. This meant a quick turnaround, with no time to rest.
"He didn't get an offseason with us," Bills head coach Joe Brady said. "Goes straight from playing in the UFL… straight into it."
For Wheeler, the opportunity represented more than a quick turnaround from one season to the next. After a devastating injury, multiple roster cuts and moments when he questioned whether his NFL dream was over, his championship run in the UFL had helped lead him back to another chance in the league.
Wheeler hit the field in Rochester in as close to game shape as a player can get ahead of training camp, playing in 11 games of professional football in 2026 from March to June.
The 24-year-old got better as his season in Louisville went on, putting up 89 yards and one touchdown on the ground in the only other playoff game prior to his MVP night.
Taking home the trophy was a special moment, helping cap off the best year of his career to this point.
"I think it was just kind of a culmination of the work that I did, and that the team did to put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship," Wheeler said. "I'm just really happy that it shook out that way."
Now fully invested in this new opportunity in Buffalo, Wheeler hopes to bring that winning experience to a Bills team looking to get to the promised land this season.
"I saw this opportunity to compete on a very seasoned roster, on a roster that has had a lot of success these last few years," Wheeler said. "It's definitely exciting to be granted the opportunity to be back in the league and nonetheless with a team like this."
The chance to get "back in the league" isn't something Wheeler will take for granted. His rookie year in 2024 with the Chicago Bears showed how quickly things can change, with his entire career flashing before his eyes.
Taking a helmet to the outside of his left knee in the final preseason game of the year, Wheeler hobbled off the field knowing something was wrong.
"Okay, well, this might be the end of it," he thought.
The verdict: A torn ACL. His first NFL season was over before it even had a chance to start. 22 years of working toward the NFL suddenly felt like they could be for nothing. Wheeler knew opportunities like this did not come around for everyone.
Wheeler flashed his 4.41 speed throughout camp with the Bears, impressing his coaches and teammates enough to warrant serious conversations regarding keeping him around for the regular season. He truly was on the brink of earning a roster spot, with one cut upfield taking that chance away.
The Houston native had the lowest moment of his career documented on HBO's Hard Knocks that season, with the show detailing the roller coaster of a training camp he experienced.
Reliving that experience was difficult, trying to look past the brutal setback as he continues his journey.
"I watched all the episodes when I first got home after I had surgery, and then I haven't looked at them since," Wheeler said.
After a year of rehabbing, Wheeler got another chance with Chicago in 2025. The second year running back had a huge game in the second week of the preseason against the Bills, tallying 80 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns.
Even with the impressive showing, Wheeler came up short of the 53-man roster and the practice squad, and he was released by the Bears. The injury canceling his chance at a strong rookie showing was hard to get past, now stuck looking at what his next option could be.
"That was just my first major injury," Wheeler said. "It put me out for a year, and when I first came back, I didn't feel like myself."
Both the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints were intrigued by Wheeler's skills enough to bring him in for a workout during the 2025 season. The Saints offered him a spot on the practice squad at the end of November, releasing him back to free agency just one week later.
Once again feeling like his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL was over, he continued to stay active, hoping for another opportunity.
"It was really quiet and I'm working out, just trying to keep myself engaged in something," Wheeler said. "It definitely was really challenging when you're just kind of going through this stuff by yourself."
The uncertainty also forced Wheeler to revisit one of the biggest decisions of his life: choosing football over an invitation to Howard University's medical school after earning his bachelor's degree.
But the NFL had been his dream for as long as he could remember, and he wasn't ready to give it up. Wheeler's decision to make the jump to the UFL wasn't an easy one, but the positives that came from it made it the right one.
"It just gave me a chance to get more comfortable in my skin," the running back said. "There wasn't as much pressure as there has been in the past… It was a lot more relaxed in the sense of like, I feel like myself, and I can kind of just play free."
Playing free led to a call from the Bills after his UFL season concluded, agreeing on a one-year contract. In his limited time with the team so far, Wheeler has impressed Buffalo's staff with both his athletic ability, as well as the mind that got him into medical school.
"He didn't get an offseason, and to come in here and be able to take valuable reps and not blink and take the coaching, I'm very pleased," Brady said. "It's obvious how he played in the UFL. He's been a great addition for us."
Brady added: "He doesn't talk a lot, but he goes 100 miles an hour on the football field. I know sometimes people think the running back position is easy to learn, but we put a lot on our running backs, protection, motion, shifts, the details with our footwork."
As the 2026 preseason gets under way, Wheeler knows all he can do is let his play speak for itself. Against the Panthers in Week 1, the 5-foot-10, 205 pound running back led Buffalo in rushing, tallying 41 yards on the ground along with a touchdown.
Some of Wheeler's new teammates are familiar faces from his time in Chicago over the last two years, excited to see him getting another chance to prove himself.
Bills wide receiver DJ Moore was with Wheeler during both stints with the Bears, watching him dominate the UFL throughout the offseason before eventually becoming teammates again.
"It was funny, we were watching Ian on TV, and then when the season ended for them in the UFL, we picked him up, and I was like, 'Dang, I already know Ian, and Ian's a good football player,'" Moore said. "He's fast. He's intelligent. He's just going to hit the ground running."
Fellow running back Ray Davis is heading into his third season with the Bills and has been wowed by how seamless the transition has been for Wheeler joining the room.
"He has been doing what he has to do, man," Davis said. "He's a pro. Going from the UFL, winning the championship, to coming straight out here doing camp and just catching up, man, that's a real pro, and he's been able to handle it."
Adversity hasn't kept Wheeler from chasing his dream, focusing on controlling what he can control, and getting at least one percent better every day.
Bumps on the road have been a common theme throughout the 24-year-old's journey, dating all the way back to not making the varsity team in high school. Not earning a Division I scholarship and not being drafted didn't affect him either, keeping his head down and trusting himself the whole way.
"What's for you usually ends up being for you," Wheeler said. "Whether or not that happens on your timing isn't up to you… All that it takes is a couple of opportunities to go your way for something to go in the right direction. Keeping that the main thing helps a lot."
Even through the tough times, Wheeler has found ways to grow and stay positive, learning more about himself as his rollercoaster of a journey continues to play out.
"It just pointed to me being able to be resilient, even if I don't want to be," Wheeler said. "Sometimes it's easier to kind of just bawl up and cry about stuff. But it proved to me that I was resilient and tough enough to deal with the circumstances of this game and how it affected my life."
After so many moments when he questioned whether his football career was over, the opportunity to be back in an NFL building proves his decision to not only keep pushing, but to spend a season in the UFL, was worth it.
"There's nothing that Ian's done that I'm like, 'This guy feels out of place,' or 'He's struggling to learn,'" Brady said. "And that's a perk of what that league is. It allows the opportunity for guys that they might not have had opportunities in the NFL, but they go take advantage of the opportunities that they got in that league. He obviously did a great job in it."
