Let’s meet the 2019 Bills Running Backs.
Player-by-Player:
Patrick DiMarco
Patrick DiMarco is in a weird position among the RB roster. While the rest of the backs are halfbacks, he’s a fullback. He was used on just 15% of offensive snaps last season but was a captain. There are other players that could fill his role, while also adding a stronger multi-dimensionality that DiMarco lacks. Frank Gore could play as a fullback, especially on passing downs.
That said, DiMarco probably isn’t going anywhere. Despite fullbacks going the way of the dinosaurs, he’s a rock for this team. As previously mentioned, he was named a captain in just his second year with the Bills. Coach Sean McDermott has spoken on the importance and magnitude of DiMarco’s leadership. While his offensive snap count may dip even lower than this past season, he’ll remain on the team, even if he’s relegated to exclusively special teams.
Frank Gore
Gore is one of two guaranteed Hall of Famers on the Bills roster. Despite being 36 years old, he’s still churning out solid RB2 seasons on his conquest up the all-time rushing list. He’s currently fourth, just 521 yards short of Barry Sanders. In his prime, Gore was a do-it-all back and often has flashes of his former self. He could theoretically fill the role of FB if need be.
He’s a near-lock for the roster, having rushed for more yards than anyone else on the current roster. Gore, who spent last season with the Dolphins, will be the primary goal-line back and will either be a safety valve should LeSean McCoy go down or one part of a deep running back committee.
LeSean McCoy
Shady is the other Bill who’ll inevitably be enshrined in Canton. Like Gore, he’s on the wrong side of 30, but his playstyle has led to a much steeper decline than his counterpart. McCoy works best side-to-side, a skill lost easily with age. He performed incredibly poorly last season, setting a career-low in rushing yards and recorded his fewest all-purpose touchdowns since he played JV football in high school. It’s worth noting that his recent years have been paired with shoddy offensive lines. Thanks to the OL overhaul, he may be able to look more like he did in his Eagles/early-Bills days.
Marcus Murphy
Simply put, Marcus Murphy isn’t running back, he’s a return man. He has quick feet and excellent side-to-side speed but lacks in pretty much every other category needed to be a successful back. In two years with the Bills, he’s seen just 59 touches. He returned 13 kickoffs last season for 324 yards, an average of 24.9 yards per return.
Despite being a top-tier returner last season, it’s hard to see Murphy playing for the Bills this year. Buffalo signed WR Andre Roberts to a two-year deal. Roberts, who’s now on his fifth team in five years, was a First-Team All-Pro last season as a return man. He was tied for the league lead in punt return average and returned kicks for nearly 30 yards each. As Murphy is almost exclusively a special return man, he has less rushing attempts on his career than Bills then-rookie QB Josh Allen had last season. Having Murphy as a backup for Roberts, who’s now 31, would be great, but there’s just not enough room on the roster for two pure return men.
Senorise Perry
Like Murphy, Perry is much more of a special teamer than a RB. He has just eight career touches. However, instead of running back kicks as Murphy does his goal is to stop returners. Last year he led the Dolphins in special teams tackles. The Buffalo kickoff defense was among the best in the league, but Perry would be a useful addition to what was the tenth-worst punt defense in the league last season.
As a gunner, he’d play alongside CB Lafayette Pitts, but again, there just isn’t enough space on the team. Unlike Pitts, Perry shows little upside as a non-special teamer, and there’s just no use keeping him on a roster that’s still scraping for depth at some positions.
Devin Singletary
Devin Singletary was selected by the Bills in the third round of this year’s draft. You simply don’t use that high of a pick on someone not intended to make the roster. He’s a shifty back with good vision and has the strength to break most non-head-on tackles; reminiscent of a young LeSean McCoy. Singletary earned the moniker “Motor” for a reason. He’s an every-down back with stellar power for his size.
Unless OC Brian Daboll works his running backs by committee, Singletary will be gradually eased into his position. He’s undersized for his playstyle, which will amount to a lot of wear and tear on his body. Hopefully McCoy will take Singletary under his wing, helping to streamline the transition following his rapidly approaching retirement.
Christian Wade
Wade had a record-breaking career prior to joining the Bills, but his name isn’t of historic importance for football excellence. Instead, Wade is coming from Wasps RFC in England’s top rugby union competition. There, Wade spent eight seasons quickly climbing his way to third in all-time tries.
He could very well make the roster due to his pure athleticism. Like Perry and Murphy, he’d start as a special teamer, but his unbounded athleticism provides a much higher ceiling as an offensive weapon giving reason to keep him around. There’s no question whether or not Wade has the physical skills to be successful in the NFL, but his football-specific skills need to be refined.
Football and rugby are similar on the most elementary levels, but once you get past the methods of scoring the divide becomes larger. Wade’s highlights look like European “Beast-Quakes,” but in this training camp, he needs to learn the basics like finding gaps, running routes, and understanding play calls. Luckily for Buffalo, if he can’t refine his football skills, Wade is one of seven players the NFL will allow to be the 11th member of a team’s practice squad.
TJ Yeldon
Yeldon was on the Jaguars team that eliminated Buffalo in their playoff appearance in 2017. There, he was a mid-level starter, only eclipsing 500 rushing yards in a season once in four seasons. However, he proved to be a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield. He actually has as many receiving touchdowns on his career as he does on the ground. Last year’s four receiving touchdown total was double his highest rushing touchdown number. He plays much like Gore does, and maybe Gore can push him to the next level.
Projected Depth Chart
LeSean McCoy
Frank Gore
TJ Yeldon
Devin Singletary
Patrick DiMarco
Recap:
The Bills are in a fortunate situation. They have two future Hall of Famers and two youthful backs that play a lot like those veterans. If they keep their spares on the practice squad, they’ll have great depth on special teams, as well as a promising work-in-progress with Wade. DiMarco’s usage is fading fast, but he provides intangibles important to a young team like Buffalo.
GRADE: B-
How do you grade the Bills running backs? Which position should we look at next? Let me know, either on Twitter (@zekepersources) or Instagram (@zekepersources)