The Saints practice squad signed former Bills RB Jordan Mims, Jake Haener’s college teammate at Fresno State. He’s one of the most prolific runners in school history:
This is cool: the New Orleans Saints are signing former Buffalo Bills running back Jordan Mims to their practice squad, as first reported by Saints News Network’s John Hendrix. Before he joined the Bills, Mims was college teammates with Saints fourth-round draft pick Jake Haener at Fresno State.
And he left Fresno State as one of the most prolific running backs in school history. Mims ranked fifth in all-purpose yards, fourth in rushing yards, third in touchdown runs, and second in rushing attempts. He also ranked second in total touchdowns (45). Not a bad resume despite his poor pre-draft athletic performance in combine drills.
So why was he available? Mims wasn’t given many opportunities in Buffalo’s preseason games before being sidelined by a concussion, but he gained 47 rushing yards on just 11 attempts. He also caught 4 receptions for another 45 receiving yards. Mims has extensive experience in pass protection at the college level (256 snaps in five years), so if he can make the most of his opportunities when his number is called he could hang around for a while.
A lengthy injury list for the Buffalo Bills keeps inviting players on board.
After a laundry list of injuries reported on Tuesday, the ensuing day saw another addition: Offensive lineman Connor McGovern. According to numerous reports from Bills practice, McGovern sustained a knee injury which saw him leave the workout.
Per ESPN, McGovern left the session but did not leave the field after putting a sleeve on his leg. Typically if a player has to depart the practice entirely, it’s potentially a worse sign.
McGovern signed in Buffalo this offseason and is expected to start at left guard.
Bills Wire will provide an update when information is made available.
In addition, there were a few other names to join and leave the injury list. Running back Jordan Mims was added to it. Per The Athletic, Mims was hit in the mouth during Tuesday’s workout. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Eli Ankou (calf) returned.
Here is a rundown of the rest of the injury report from Wednesday:
The first half was a scene of horrors for the Bills. They gave up an opening drive touchdown to the Steelers, as running back Jaylen Warren burst through the Bills defense for 62 yards.
The Bills followed that up with a three-and-out on offense. Buffalo then allowed a 53-yard punt return to set up the Steelers’ second offensive drive. Pittsburgh cashed in on the next play, which saw quarterback Kenny Pickett find tight end Pat Freiermuth down the seam for a 25-yard touchdown reception.
Buffalo had no answer on offense, as the starters looked flat for the remainder of their three drives on the field.
The Bills set themselves back several times during the first half. They were guilty for 12 penalties in the first two quarters alone. That, along with two interceptions during the first half, negated any sort of silver of optimism that could be found.
It didn’t get much better in the second half. Matt Barkley turned the ball over two more times, bringing his total to four for the game.
Buffalo’s depth players kept the Steelers at bay in the second half. However, there wasn’t much to like about this performance.
This is likely the only time that many of the starters will see on the field during the preseason, so hopefully they will have the time to clean up this disappointing showing.
Here’s the remainder of Bills Wire’s preseason Week 2 recap:
In this week’s “4-Down Teritory,” Doug and Kyle discuss worst owners, best undrafted free agents, and 2023 NFL schedule beefs.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire get into a few important items as NFL teams put the first minicamps of the 2023 season in the books.
Who is the worst owner in pro football history, and why might it be Dan Snyder?
Who are the undrafted first-year players to watch as rookie minicamps turn to minicamps to training camps?
Which team has the biggest legitimate beef with the NFL”s schedule-makers?
And which team has the easiest path to success from a schedule perspective?
You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:
The Buffalo Bills added six new pieces to their roster during the 2023 NFL draft.
After making their picks comes the convincing. The Bills look to add some value players to their roster via free agency.
Approximately 25-30 percent of the NFL consists of players who were not drafted. There is still a great deal of talent available for teams to sign following the draft.
Here is the reported list of the undrafted players who the Bills have signed thus far:
Fresno State football’s revival over the past six years has come in large part thanks to a strong passing game, but that facet of the offense would not have been nearly as effective without a strong running attack first headlined by Jordan Mims.
Hailing from East Palo Alto, California, Mims committed to Fresno State in 2017 and got busy from the get-go as a true freshman, making three starts while appearing in all 14 contests that year. He led the team in rushing as the Bulldogs made an appearance in the Mountain West championship, and he made five more starts in 2018 while sharing the backfield with Ronnie Rivers before a late-season injury eventually forced him to redshirt in 2019.
Though it took time for Mims to regain his form, he appeared in all six games during the shortened 2020 campaign, led the team in rushing touchdowns in 2021 and, when Rivers moved on to the NFL, landed on the first-team all-Mountain West offense by scoring 19 total touchdowns, a key cog in the Bulldogs’ championship run.
After a storybook finish to his collegiate career, Mims looks to follow Fresno State runners like Rivers and Ryan Mathews before him to carve out a career in the pros.
Height – 5′ and 10 1/2″ Weight – 206 pounds 40-yard time – 4.65 seconds 10-yard split time – 1.65 seconds Arm length – 31″ Hand size – 9 3/8″ Wingspan – 76″ Vertical jump – 30″ Broad jump – 9′ and 5″ (or 113″) Shuttle time – 4.50 seconds 3-cone drill time – 7.50 seconds Bench press – 18 reps
Highlights
Strengths
Mims was always one of the busiest pass catchers in the Mountain West at the running back position and he rarely let the Bulldogs offense down in that regard. Pro Football Focus notes that he had a career drop rate of only 7.1%, but it’s worth noting he didn’t drop a single one of his 27 targets last year. Even better, he’s capable of doing a little bit of damage after the catch, as well, averaging 11.2 YAC per reception over his five seasons.
Inevitably, though, you want a running back who can run and Mims does that pretty well, too. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein points out that Mims hasn’t fumbled on a rushing attempt since 2017 and, additionally, he and others like Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline and NFL Draft Buzz all count above-average vision at the line of scrimmage among his assets. That he also contributed as a kick returner at times is an added bonus. He may not be a master at any one facet of the game, but Mims is a jack of all trades.
Weaknesses
Because speed isn’t Mims’s calling card, front offices may feel lukewarm about selecting him against other late-round options. In terms of Football Outsiders’ Speed Score metric, he grades out at 88.1 and would have ranked next to last among those who ran at this year’s NFL Combine.
He’ll also need to work on building strength for power running situations and pass blocking if he wants to avoid being typecast as a third-down back. Per PFF, among 19 Mountain West running backs with at least 88 snaps, Mims ranked 18th with just 2.35 yards after contact per carry.
NFL Comparison
James Robinson
Draft Prediction
Mims is never going to be the flashiest playmaker on the field, but he knows what to do when the ball is in his hands and is more than capable of creating explosive plays with his patience and game quickness. While most mock drafts don’t have him getting selected, I do think he’ll sneak into the back end of the draft as a seventh-round pick.
