With an emerging star at the top, this is a positional group in need of supporting actors
Entering the 2023 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills hadn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since the 2017 campaign. That was the first year of head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure, and it was the final year where LeSean McCoy eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a season, as he rushed for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns on his 287 carries.
That streak of five consecutive seasons without a 1,000-yard rusher is actually the second-longest such streak in franchise history. After Cookie Gilchrist ran for 1,096 yards in 1962, no Bills player surpassed that barrier until O.J. Simpson ran for 1,251 yards in 1972. Even when the Bills were bad, they tended to have strong running backs.
While the era of the “bell-cow back” may be gone, it’s still a luxury to have a clear-cut RB1 to lead the backfield. Buffalo entered the 2023 season unsure of whether it had that player. They exited the season knowing that they do, in fact, have a stud to lead their rushing attack.
In today’s look at the state of the Bills’ roster, we discuss the running back group.
James Cook
Contract status for 2024: Signed; third year of four-year rookie contract ($1,590,562 cap hit; $710,748 dead cap if cut or traded; .66% of total team cap
Age: 24 (25 on 9/25/2024)
Playing time: 17 games (13 starts), 634 offensive snaps (54.5% of team total)
Key statistics: 237 carries, 1,122 yards, 2 TD, 54 targets, 44 receptions, 445 yards, 4 TD, 4 fumbles
Cook showed promise as a rookie, and he showed flashes of tremendous growth in the first half of the 2023 season. However, once offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was relieved of his duties, Cook saw more opportunity under new play caller Joe Brady. With Dorsey calling the plays, Cook averaged 12 carries for 62 yards and two receptions for 22 yards per game. With Brady running the show, Cook averaged 17 carries and 72 yards per game, with three receptions and 32 yards per contest receiving added to his ledger. It’s not a huge uptick in yardage — and it’s actually a slight downturn in efficiency — but it was clear that the team shifted their focus towards giving Cook the lion’s share of the touches on offense.
He’s not going to be a guy who scores a lot of rushing touchdowns given that Buffalo’s best short-yardage back — quarterback Josh Allen — is one of the best goal-line rushers in the NFL. However, Cook seems to be exactly the kind of back who thrives in the modern NFL. He’s a dangerous receiver out of the slot or the backfield, he excels in the open field, and he runs effectively out of both the shotgun and under-center situations. If he can cut down on the drops (he had six dropped passes this year on those 54 targets, an 11.1% drop rate), he’ll move squarely into “elite” territory. For now, the Bills can be content with having a Pro Bowl running back.
Ty Johnson
Contract status for 2024: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 26 (27 on 9/17/2024)
Playing time: 10 games, 65 special teams snaps (15.1% of team total), 91 offensive snaps (7.8% of team total)
Key statistics: 30 carries, 132 yards, 7 targets, 7 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble, 8 kickoff returns, 161 kickoff return yards
Johnson spent the better part of the last three seasons in a limited role with the New York Jets, and this past year, he showcased his speed with the Bills. Buffalo signed him to the practice squad after the preseason, and he eventually made his way onto the 53-man roster. First, he was the third running back behind Latavius Murray (and Leonard Fournette for a few games, as well), but due to his own explosiveness and effectiveness, Johnson eventually worked his way up to RB2 status. He is lightning-fast on the edge and he’s also tough enough to gain those gritty yards in between the tackles. Although he’s a free agent, there’s definitely a chance the Bills will want to bring him back next season, as he can probably be had for a one-year deal at or around the veteran’s minimum.
Latavius Murray
Contract status for 2024: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 34 (35 on 1/18/2025)
Playing time: 16 games (4 starts), 351 offensive snaps (30.2% of team total)
Key statistics: 79 carries, 300 yards, 4 TD, 22 targets, 17 receptions, 119 yards
Murray was a preseason favorite of mine, as he’s always been a player I’ve admired from afar. Buffalo loves their 30-plus running backs, and Murray did a good job throughout the season. Perhaps unsurprisingly given his age, he was much more effective and efficient in the beginning of the season than he was as the year progressed. I don’t imagine the Bills will bring him back, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up on the practice squad in early September if Murray doesn’t see any offers he likes and he decides that he wants to continue chasing a Super Bowl ring.
Damien Harris
Contract status for 2024: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 26 (27 on 2/11/2024)
Playing time: 6 games, 34 special teams snaps (7.9% of team total), 60 offensive snaps (5.2% of team total)
Key statistics: 23 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
Harris was moderately effective as a short-yardage back early in the season, but he was taken off the field in an ambulance due to a neck injury against the New York Giants in October and missed the rest of the season. There’s always a chance that he and the team are interested in a reunion, but head coach Sean McDermott seemed to intimate that Harris might be considering life after football due to the injury. I can’t blame him.
Nyheim Hines
Contract status for 2024: Signed; final year of two-year contract ($5.48 million cap hit; $500,000 dead-cap charge if cut or traded; 2.26% of total team cap)
Age: 27 (28 on 11/12/2024)
Playing time: N/A
Key statistics: N/A
Hines was injured while on a Jet Ski prior to the start of training camp, and his injuries were severe enough that he missed the entire season. He suffered a torn ACL and LCL in his left leg, and he had surgery to repair the ligaments in August. At his season-ending press conference, general manager Brandon Beane said that he expects Hines to be part of the roster in 2024.
Darrynton Evans
Contract status for 2024: Signed reserve/future contract on 1/23/2024 ($1.055 million cap hit per OvertheCap.com)
Age: 25 (26 on 7/9/2024)
Playing time: 7 games (5 with the Chicago Bears and 2 with the Miami Dolphins), 93 offensive snaps split between those two teams, 57 special teams snaps split between those two teams
Key statistics: 32 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD, 12 targets, 7 receptions, 49 yards
Evans was quite effective for the Bills in the preseason this year, rushing 21 times for 108 yards and a score. He caught both of his targets for ten yards, and he also averaged 21.5 yards per kickoff return on four attempts. Evans is still young, and the Bills could certainly do worse than someone with his speed and athleticism as their third or fourth running back.
There’s not much need to overthink the position here. Buffalo has three running backs under contract, and they all possess plus traits for the position. Cook is the clear lead dog here, while Hines is a dynamic receiver and Evans is a strong, speedy back who can contribute on special teams. If the salary cap weren’t an issue, then I’d say the Bills could add a UDFA or two in camp — sign someone like Murray or Johnson to a veteran’s minimum deal — and they’d be all set.
However, the salary cap definitely is an issue, and even though general manager Brandon Beane directly said at his year-end press conference that Hines is in the team’s plans for next season, I wouldn’t have expected him to say anything less about a player who is under contract with the club. Buffalo can save nearly $5 million by releasing Hines, and while it may seem cold, it also seems like a no-brainer to release him. He’s coming off a major knee injury, and he’s someone who’s always relied on his quickness and change-of-direction ability to succeed. Buffalo can absolutely keep him through a portion of the offseason if they wish to give him a shot, but rostering an RB2 who makes more than the rest of your running backs combined doesn’t seem like solid asset management.
The Bills could likely re-sign Johnson and add another veteran running back with the $5 million they’d save releasing Hines. They could also add a player late in the draft, someone like Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright or Southern Mississippi’s Frank Gore Jr., or via the undrafted free agent route, like a Carson Steele from UCLA or a Blake Watson from Memphis.
Ultimately, I don’t think this is a position in need of much change. Buffalo already has two good options for a second back under contract for next year, and a third (Ty Johnson) would likely want to re-sign with the team and could be had at a reasonable contract. For once, maybe the Bills won’t be tied to every aging free-agent running back this offseason, nor will pundits have them taking a running back early in the NFL Draft. For at least the next two seasons, Buffalo is set at the top of the running back depth chart. It’s what they do behind James Cook that will be the intriguing part this offseason.