What will the Buffalo Bills do with their crowded backfield?

How will the Buffalo Bills split up the carries in their crowded backfield?

The Buffalo Bills have one of the most crowded backfields in the NFL going into the 2019 season. They currently have seven running backs under contract and can’t employ them all at the start of the regular season.

The running backs the Bills currently have on the roster are LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, T.J. Yeldon, Devin Singletary, Marcus Murphy, Senorise Perry and Christian Wade.

I believe the Bills will keep four running backs on the 53-man roster and place rugby star Christian Wade on the practice squad. Which four running backs will stick around?

There has been speculation that McCoy would be traded last season and it even could still happen with the Bills having so many quality running backs under contract. McCoy has one year left on his contract and I believe he will finish the year in Buffalo and then move on.

McCoy’s stats last year were his worst since his rookie season, but that was mainly due to a poor offensive line. The Bills added several offensive linemen in the offseason to help protect Josh Allen and make it easier on the running backs in the backfield on Sunday afternoons. This should help get McCoy back to the 1,000-yard mark as long as he can stay healthy all season long.

For being 36-years-old, Gore shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason after spending last season in Miami.

He can provide a lot of leadership along with McCoy to rookie running back Devin Singletary. Gore ranks fourth all-time for most rushing yards in a career, racking up 14,748 yards throughout his career.

In nine of his 14 seasons, he’s rushed for over 1,000 yards and even last year was still productive with 722 yards. I believe he will be a factor for the Bills next year and could record at least 500 yards on the ground.

The Buffalo Bills drafted Devin Singletary in the third round (pick 74) of the 2019 NFL draft. As a member of the Florida Atlantic Owls, he led all Division 1 FBS players in 2017 with 32 rushing touchdowns. He also had 33 overall touchdowns as a sophomore.

Singletary rushed for a total of 1,920 yards scoring a total of 198 points. He will be a factor for the Buffalo Bills early on but will likely have to settle for third string at the beginning with veterans McCoy and Gore on the depth chart.

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If Singletary comes out the gate and dominates early in preseason then the Bills may be pressed to move on from one of those veteran backs, most likely meaning McCoy is on the trade block.

T.J. Yeldon came over to the Bills via free agency, nabbing a two-year deal worth $3.2 million. An original second-round pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015 has played four NFL seasons and what I like about him is he can also be used to catch passes out of the backfield giving Josh Allen another weapon to throw the ball too. Now he does have rushing ability but I believe it’s his versatility that wins him the fourth spot on the depth chart.

Murphy had his best season last year rushing for 250 yards on 52 carries mostly while LeSean McCoy was out due to injury. He’s going to have to prove himself if he has any chance of making this roster along with Senorise Perry who was signed during the offseason to a one year deal.

Perry has only taken eight carries for 30 yards over a shaky career where he was an undrafted free agent in 2014 by the Chicago Bears before sitting out till 2017 when he got a chance with the Miami Dolphins.

Lastly, the rugby star Christian Wade who joined the Buffalo Bills via the NFL’s International Pathways Program is an intriguing player. His chances of making the 53-man roster are a bit slimmer considering he has never played the game before and has a lot to learn still.

That being said, Wade is basically guaranteed a spot on the practice squad because the Bills get an exemption for international players. So they’d be able to keep 11 players instead of 10 on the practice squad.

Wade has some qualities that make him shine like his outside running ability but needs to work on running up the middle to be productive in the NFL. He’s a long term project for the Bills that could benefit for both sides in the future.

Come the end of August, I believe the depth chart will look as follows; 1. McCoy, 2. Gore, 3. Singletary and 4. Yeldon. Leading to Marcus Murphy, and Senorise Perry being cut and Christian wade to be placed on the practice squad.

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If Singletary happens to take the league by storm early, it could lead to McCoy being traded and then keeping Murphy as the fourth and final back on the roster.

If a trade for McCoy were to take place a team like Houston or Kansas City makes sense for a quality veteran running back of his caliber.

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