Here are four running back prospects who could be on the board when the Bills pick 54th in April.
The Buffalo Bills first scheduled draft selection won’t occur until Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team picks No. 54 overall.
Luckily, the Bills do not have a glaring need on their roster, making this year’s draft quite intriguing. Buffalo’s front office, led by general manager Brandon Beane, can go in a multitude of directions with the pick, leaving quite a bit of interest and uncertainty with whom the Bills could select.
This position-by-position series will take a look at several realistic options of players who may be available for the team to select.
First, the series will take a view of the running back position:
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Current roster
The Bills are fairly confident they have their No. 1 running back, or at least their 1A, in Devin Singletary. In his rookie season, Singletary wrestled the starting job away from Frank Gore. With no prospective player on the roster who could steal snaps from Singletary, it may be through the draft that Buffalo finds its complementary piece to Singletary. Other backs on the Bills’ current roster includes TJ Yeldon and special teamer Taiwan Jones.
Bills’ Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Devin Singletary land in Pro Football Focus’ top-150 fantasy football players.
The Bills are hoping their 2020 offseason will make a big difference in regard to their offensive output next season.
Buffalo took a big step forward in that department by trading for wide receiver Stefon Diggs already. A move like that has an impact all over the team’s offense, but it also does on fantasy football.
With Diggs’ acquisition, Buffalo’s offense improves, and puts the team up to four players listed in Pro Football Focus‘ fantasy football player rankings recently released following free agency. Here’s that breakdown:
42. Devin Singletary, BUF
46. Stefon Diggs, BUF
76. Josh Allen, BUF
78. John Brown, BUF
Overall, Singletary lands as the 19th ranked running back, a position that’s of the upmost importance in fantasy football. While Allen ranks much further away from Singeltary on the list, quarterbacks are not of the upmost importance in fantasy football. So despite being No. 76 overall, Allen actually ranks as the seventh-most valuable QB per PFF’s rankings. Several of the QBs listed ahead of Allen, such as Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson, are of the dual-threat type of quarterback, like Buffalo’s signal caller.
Naturally as the Bills’ presumed No. 1 target, Diggs out-ranks Brown. But both wideouts could have their fantasy football impacts. Both players are coming off 1,000-plus yard seasons, and Brown did so without Diggs drawing much of the attention in Buffalo’s offense. Now that Brown is the No. 2 guy for the Bills, he could end up being a sneaky-good fantasy football sleeper in 2020.
With all those moves in mind and as the second week of free agency gets underway, here’s an updated ranking of the Bills’ needs and the offseason rolls on:
The Buffalo Bills attacked the first wave of free agency harder than a lot of teams in the NFL. Not only did the Bills sign unrestricted free agents, but the club retained a few of their own players and traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs as well.
Among the Bills’ actual free agent additions were defensive end Mario Addison, linebacker AJ Klein and defensive tackle Vernon Butler.
With all those moves in mind and as the second week of free agency gets underway, here’s an updated ranking of the Bills’ needs and the offseason rolls on:
Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
1. Defensive end
We’ll start here: A big plus is the Bills really don’t have any glaring needs left on their roster at this point, but let’s start at edge defender.
As mentioned, Addison was added to the Bills’ rotation along their defensive line. Addison is a fantastic story, going from UDFA 10 years ago to a player who had 9.5 sacks last season and at least nine, in total, each of the last four seasons. But what makes this need still high for the Bills is his age.
It’s just a number and there’s reason for optimism that Addison will help Buffalo’s pass rush in 2020, but he’s 32. He joins a group of players who also aren’t exactly youthful either in Jerry Hughes (31) and Trent Murphy (29). Behind those very raw prospects in Mike Love (26), Jonathan Woodard (26) and Darryl Johnson (22).
While the NFL is still in the thick of free agency, the Bills likely won’t address this need until the NFL draft. If you find a “youthful” prospect in free agency, that player is usually 24 or 25. Such players, like Yannick Ngakoue or Jadeveon Clowney, are young, but also entering the prime of their careers and will cost the Bills a lot more than say, a second or third round rookie that can play a rotational role and learn behind Hughes and Addison.
The Bills went all-in on their passing game with a monster trade for Stefon Diggs. QB Josh Allen must match the excellence of his targets.
Just when you thought the first day of the 2020 illegal tampering period was over, the NFL pulled you right back in.
The #Vikings have traded WR Stefon Diggs and a seventh-round pick to the #Bills for a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2021, source said. @JayGlazer first on the trade
This is a big haul for a major receiver, especially in the wake of the utter larceny the Cardinals performed on the Texans for DeAndre Hopkins earlier in the day. It also satisfies perhaps the Bills’ biggest need — an alpha receiver to put with John Brown, perhaps the NFL’s most underrated receiver in 2019, and slot man Cole Beasley. Last season, Brown caught 72 passes on 115 targets for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns as Buffalo’s primary receiver. With Diggs now on board, Brown’s route neatness becomes a force multiplier, because covering Diggs as the true No. 1 receiver on every play will be Job 1 for every opposing defense.
Diggs caught 63 passes on 94 targets for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns last season, averaging 17.9 yards per catch. With Adam Thielen as his bookend, Diggs became even more what he had been before — one of the most dominant deep receivers in the league.
This 41-yard touchdown catch in the Vikings’ divisional round loss to the 49ers is an excellent example of how Diggs can demolish a defense. Watch how he turns Richard Sherman, still one of the NFL’s best boundary cornerbacks, around on this play. Sherman thinks he has inside position… and then, he doesn’t.
Because he’s a great deep receiver, Diggs made Kirk Cousins a better deep thrower. Now, it will be Diggs’ job to do the same with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is still a work in progress with the subtleties of the position. In 2018, Allen completed 58.8% of his passes for 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he imploded in Buffalo’s wild-card loss to the Texans. There, the ostensible deep thrower was muted for just 264 yards on 46 attempts, and he unleashed some howlers in the approximate direction of his own targets.
Obviously, Diggs is going to go up for a contested catch with more dynamism than a fullback on a deep route, but the point remains — with this trade, the Bills have exercised both a great deal of faith in their young quarterback, and they’ve pulled any remaining excuse card when it comes to Allen’s development. With Diggs, Brown, Beasley, receiving back Devin Singletary, and ascending tight end Dawson Knox, the Bills now have one of the best and brightest receiver corps in the NFL. It will be up to Allen to match that luster with his own play.
The Bills were placed in the “Much to think about” category with respect to their running backs ahead of free agency.
NFL.com examined the running back situation of each team ahead of free agency’s start next week. For the Buffalo Bills, NFL.com is a bit uncertain of their situation in the backfield.
The analysis placed the Bills in the “Much to think about” category along with the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and Philadelphia Eagles with respect to their running backs.
The Bills have seemingly handed over the reins to Devin Singletary, as he garnered the majority of the backfield touches as last season progressed. However, NFL.com still expresses a little concern ahead of free agency:
Buffalo experimented last summer with a veteran-heavy backfield of LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore, but neither graybeard is expected to be in Western New York this time around. 2019 third-round pick Devin Singletary was brought on slowly behind Gore and emerged as a back worth building around by season’s end. He’s currently flanked by T.J. Yeldon and Briton experiment Christian Wade in Buffalo’s backfield. The Bills can do better and can save $1.7 million by cutting Yeldon, who was a healthy scratch more often than not in 2019. Buffalo can replace Gore with a thicker free agent like Melvin Gordon, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Howard or, well, Gore, if the Bills are open to another go with the 36-year-old.
Singletary rushed for 775 yards on 151 carries. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry, which was among the league’s best for running backs. Yeldon was inactive for most games, and Wade still has a ways to go with learning the North American game.
However, with the depth chart unsettled behind Singletary, there is a good chance the Bills will look to bolster this unit via free agency or the draft. Earlier this month at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott actually did praise Yeldon plenty, though. Could he be a factor in the Bills’ running back room next season?
The Bills Wire podcast, The Kyle Silagyi Hour, recently placed Howard at the top of its hypothetical free agent big board.
Potential Buffalo Bills free agent target Melvin Gordon to test free agency.
The Buffalo Bills were previously connected to Chargers running back Melvin Gordon. At the 2019 NFL trade deadline, reports said the Bills had interested in adding the back.
Fast forward to this week and it appears, in a few weeks, Gordon will test the free agent market, Chargers Wire reports.
The 26-year-old former first-round pick had his name in trade speculation because he was looking for a new contract last season. He held out for four games but never got that new deal, so him hitting the market comes as no surprise.
Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowler, but with that contract dispute in mind, he won’t come cheap. What might help a prospective team that’s interest in signing him is Gordon’s struggles last season. He rushed for 3.8 yards per carry and a career-low 612 total rushing yards. He did find the end zone eight times though, and the Bills would like his pass-catching ability.
While the Bills do have Devin Singletary in their backfield already, Buffalo is unlikely to bring Frank Gore back and head coach Sean McDermott previously said this offseason he believes in a two-back system on offense. In addition, McDermott also praised TJ Yeldon a bit, in a surprising fashion, at the recent combine.
But the Bills could save $1.7 million against the cap by releasing Yeldon, money which could go into a Gordon contract. Finally, the NFL Draft is something to consider as well. The Bills have nine draft picks to use there.
ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay on the Buffalo Bills’ outlook ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft and Ed Oliver.
ESPN Insider Todd McShay has been at the draft game for awhile. If you’re on board with the Bills adding some offensive firepower at the 2020 NFL Draft, you’re going to like what the world-wide leader’s man had to say.
With this year’s scouting combine going on this week in Indianapolis, McShay jumped on a segment with WKBW-TV’s Matt Bove. There, McShay attacked the Bills’ passing attack.
“They’ve got to get more consistent now in the passing game. I think they’ve got to get some depth and future, if you will, in the running back position, wide receiver, and playmakers on the offensive side, to go along with Josh Allen and that big arm,” McShay said.
You might be thinking, running back? Yes. McShay firmly believes that as he has the Bills selecting the first rusher off the board at the upcoming draft in Georgia’s D’Andre Swift.
While that pick might not be popular because of Devin Singletary, the NFL is very much a two-back league, and that’s something Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott subscribes to. Many might prefer a first rounder receiver, but having said that, the depth of the receiver class might allow Buffalo to land a first-round graded running back, such as Swift, and then add another first-round talent with a wideout pick in the second round. Only time will tell if the Bills are that bold.
But McShay also discussed the draft that was and two things are for sure, he likes the Bills defense and Ed Oliver.
“I think it was a good group. It really was,” McShay said of the Bills’ overall 2019 draft class. “Ed Oliver comes in and he’s going to continue to get better and his versatility up front, he really sets the tone defensively.
“Defensively is where (the Bills) really, I thought, continued to improve a year ago. They coach the defensive side of the ball so well in that organization.”
Buffalo Bills rookies Ed Oliver, Cody Ford, Devin Singletary appear in top-50 rookie rankings.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Since Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott started his tenure with the Bills, he’s gotten positive play from his rookie each and every year. That helps lay a foundation for when those rookies are leading the team later on.
That “tradition” of sorts started with the likes of Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano and Dion Dawkins in 2017 (sorry, Nathan Peterman). In 2019, it was carried on by another trio and Touchdown Wire took notice.
For their efforts as rookies, Ed Oliver, Cody Ford and Devin Singletary were named in the outlet’s top-50 rookies of 2019.
Oliver, the ninth-overall pick at the most recent NFL draft, headlined the group at No. 18. Singletary followed at No. 26 while Ford wrapped things up at No. 44.
As rookies, all three had ups and downs. Still, they all began their careers on the right foot. Oliver lost his starting spot early in the year to Jordan Phillips, but worked to get it back. He finished his first season with five sacks but four of them came in the final seven games of the season.
Singletary was set back mostly by injuries, but in 12 games played, he still mustered 775 rushing yards and established himself as an NFL rusher. At right tackle, Ford eventually settled down into his role as the starter once Ty Nsekhe was bit by the injury bug.
Along with these three, tight end Dawson Knox also flashed at times in 2019.
Sandwiched in between the most recent rookie class and 2017’s is the crew headlined by quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in 2018.
The number of key, starting pieces mentioned in this piece alone from the last three Bills’ draft classes is a fantastic sign of how far the Bills have come in recent years in terms of the NFL draft. These are all homegrown players. While they’ll want to eventually get paid down the line, they’ll certainly have the Bills in their mind when that day eventually comes as the team that gave them their opportunity, and potentially as a place the continuing building their resumes.
Five Bills landed on NFL.com’s most recent fantasy football rankings.
The 2019 season saw a new group of Buffalo Bills players take the lead on offense. These skill players put up some solid numbers, seeing the offense improve from 269 points in 2018 to 314 in 2019.
These improvements have put several players on the fantasy landscape for Buffalo as well. After all, more offense is a byproduct of better production, and that’s what folks are looking for when they complete their fantasy drafts.
NFL.com named five Bills among the top-200 for the 2020 fantasy season that’s just around the corner. Here’s the five Bills players who made the cut:
Dawson Knox: 192nd overall, TE22
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Dawson Knox showed some promise in his rookie year, making some spectacular plays and earning first-team reps throughout the season. However, he did have some drops this year, which will hopefully be eradicated with another year of experience and comfort in the pro game.
Knox ended the season with 28 receptions for 388 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.
He’s an intriguing player due to his athleticism. There’s a chance he could break out next year. Until he produced consistently, though, he will be a waiver wire addition for next year. Nevertheless, he’s someone to be added earlier than later.
Looking inside the stats from 2019 to find the running backs better posed for a bigger 2020.
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Running backs always have the greatest amount of volatility of all positions so getting a heads up on any back that might find a more favorable situation next year is always critical. So is knowing which backs appear best posed to do something in 2020 should his opportunities improve.
Another critical component that gets hidden in total numbers is the quality of the offensive line. And working within a top passing offense also tends to make the running lanes easier to find. There are many characteristics and factors involved with valuing a running back, so here are a few metrics that can help further define a player.
Notable Running Backs
Tevin Coleman/Latavius Murray – Both players enjoyed good blocking with their respective “yards before contact” but those were the only top marks for each player. Both had that advantage and yet were among the worst with yards after contact. Not impressive.
Devin Singletary – Appears posed for a solid sophomore campaign after posting among the highest marks in almost all rushing related metrics. He already assumed the primary rushing role and recorded one of the best marks for broken tackles in just his first season.
Josh Jacobs – He wasn’t a full-time back in Alabama which speaks volumes about what they had for talent on hand. His rookie year saw him assume a full-time role from the start and he was effective after contact and breaking tackles. He’s one of the best gambles in all of Las Vegas this year.
Kenyan Drake – He not only ranked No. 2 with yards per carry (5.2), but that was comingled with some games back in Miami. The Cardinals had one of the worst lines coming into 2019, so either the Dolphins wasted a stud running back or Drake is just a late bloomer. He’s a nice fit for their Air-Raid system.
Nick Chubb – This is what you want to see. He did not have a great offensive line as shown from his yards before contact, but he ranked among the best with what he did once he had the ball and was contacted by the defense. He’s another back with growing promise heading into 2020.
Raheem Mostert – Hard to wrap your head around this guy who was never really a running back before. He was a special teams ace and a speedster with some size. But he roared into prominence for the 49ers last season with top marks when he touched the ball.
Miles Sanders – He’s another rookie that got better down the stretch and his stats as a receiver mean that he’ll stay on the field more. The Eagles love their committee but Jordan Howard is a free agent and they have to consider at least stepping up Sanders’ role all season.
