The Buffalo Bills previously had running back LeSean McCoy on their roster. Shady had a strong career with the Bills, and folks often referenced he could “cut on a dime” on the field.
McCoy was amongst the most elusive running backs in the NFL but the Bills felt that they had another waiting in the wing who might’ve been just as shifty. Pro Football Focus recently backed that decision by the Bills, or at least in terms of those moves on the field.
The football analytics outlet ranked NFL running backs 1 to 32 in terms of their elusiveness. After his rookie season, Singletary slid in the No. 9 overall spot on PFF’s list.
Here’s why:
The Bills have an interesting situation at the running back position next season. Rookie Zack Moss, who they drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, was dubbed the most elusive running back in the 2020 Draft Guide, and that’s Singletary’s calling card as well. Across his final two seasons at FAU in 2017 and 2018, Singletary trailed only David Montgomery in broken tackles on the ground (179). As a rookie last season, he forced 42 missed tackles on just 181 touches, once again making him one of the most elusive backs among his peers. The question becomes whether that is enough to hold off Moss as the season progresses.
While Singletary might have to “hold off” Moss, that’s just one way to look at it. A spin zone: Many NFL teams sport two backs. The Bills could have the makings of one formidable duo, with Moss being the bigger of the two backs. So the more, the merrier for the Bills in their backfield.
In terms of the rest of PFF’s rankings here, Singletary is also the second-highest ranked running back who’s entering his second season. The lone Year 2 back ahead of Singletary was the only one selected in the first round of Singletary’s 2018 draft class, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.
Three other running backs were selected between Jacobs and Singletary: the Eagles’ Miles Sanders (Round 2), Rams’ Darrell Henderson, and the Bears’ David Montgomery. While their careers are still young, Singletary has already begun to out-play his draft slot in the third-round.
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