Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary landed in the middle of Maurice Jones-Drew’s annual running back rankings ahead of the upcoming regular season. But facts are facts, Singletary was also the highest-rated rusher from the AFC East on MJD’s list.
Overall, Singletary ranked as MJD’s 16th best starting running back in the NFL. Here’s how MJD broke Singletary down via NFL.com:
The Bills will have a committee spearheaded by Singletary, who, as a rookie, showed his ability to make people miss and line up out wide, along with his elusiveness out of the backfield. Even though he may have to share carries with T.J. Yeldon and Zack Moss, the opportunities will be fruitful, because the run game will be the focus. The addition of Stefon Diggs will also help the run game, as the No. 1 receiver will draw an extra defender out of the box.
As a rookie, Singletary had 775 total rushing yards, but he only played in 12 games. Because of that, he’s a bit overlooked in rankings of the NFL’s backs. But No.16 is still probably a just spot for him. Despite MJD’s analysis, Singletary’s not going to lose snaps to Yeldon. Moss? Maybe, but Singletary will still get his look and will have a chance to improve on his solid start to his career. Singletary showed despite his small size, he’s an all-around back that can quickly get to the outside while also wiggling for yards down the middle of a defense.
Circling back to the AFC East, the Jets’ Le’Veon Bell slots in at No. 20 overall, while the Patriots’ Sony Michel is 26th and the Dolphins’ Jordan Howard lands at No.30. Looking ahead, Bell might have the best look to jump Singletary in the future. He was a former All-Pro with the Steelers and the Jets are looking to help him in 2020 because their offensive line can only go up from last season. They were bad.
Looking at the rest of MJD’s list, the Bills do have some formidable offenses lining up against them in 2020, but not exactly some of the best running backs. On MJD’s rank, the only two backs the Bills face in 2020 that appear in the top-10 are the Titans’ Derrick Henry (7) and Raiders’ Josh Jacobs (9).
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