I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Buffalo Bills RB room was the best we’ve seen it in quite some time. Lead by James Cook, who had a career year with 1,122 yards and two TDs on the ground, and another 445 yards and four TDs receiving. Not to be left out are Latavius Murray, Damien Harris, and Ty Johnson. The former Jets RB signed with the team before the last week of the preseason, and when Damien Harris got hurt, Johnson really stepped up. So, who should return to the team?
Ty Johnson
After Harris suffered his season-ending injury, Johnson made a name for himself both on offense, and handling kick returns. On offense, he totaled 132 rushing yards on 30 attempts, and 62 receiving yards and one TD on seven receptions. Those may not be amazing stats, but Johnson proved to be a reliable spell back to Cook.
Latavius Murray
Murray signed with the Bills following the conclusion of the 2023 draft. During the first part of the season, he became the goal line back, rushing for 300 yards and four TDs. However, something changed after Ken Dorsey was fired, and he just didn’t seem to be as productive with Joe Brady at helm. Murray recently turned 34 years old, and the Bills may look to go in a different direction this year. Spotrac projects his contract to be one year/$2.4M.
Damien Harris
Harris signed with the Bills at the beginning of free agency, and looked to be Devin Singletary’s replacement in the backfield. However, at the beginning of the season, Murray got the majority of the touches when Cook was on the sideline, and then he suffered his freak neck injury. Harris finished out the season rushing for 94 yards and one TD in six games. Returning to the Bills may be Harris’ best option, and it would come relatively cheap as well. Harris likely won’t get much action on the open market after his injury, and the Bills could give him another one year/$1.77M contract.
What the fans say
Bills fans overwhelmingly say bring back Ty Johnson over Latavius Murray, and that might be the way I’m leaning too. Johnson is the younger back, and he provides another receiving option for this pass heavy offense.
Buffalo Bills RB depth
While the Bills are thin at the RB position, one thing is clear. They love having their fast receiving backs. They should look to add two more RBs come March, and one should be a power back to give them a change of pace in the backfield.
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