The Buffalo Bills Need A Better Running Game

It’s a franchise that has been to the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. The team has won the last three AFC East titles. The Buffalo Bills are still waiting to get back to the Super Bowl and the 2023 season will mark 30 years since the club’s last of an NFL-record four consecutive appearances on Super Sunday.

The team took on a new dynamic when they moved up in the 2018 NFL Draft to select raw but super-talented quarterback Josh Allen. His arm strength was well-documented but his secret weapon per se turned out to be his running ability.

He’s Got Legs And Knows How To Use Them

Go back to 2018 and Allen’s rookie campaign. Buffalo’s ground attack has finished ninth, eighth, 20th, sixth, and seventh, in the league in terms of rushing yards per game. Four times in the past five seasons, Sean McDermott’s club was a Top 10 club when it came to running the ball.

However, look at Allen’s rushing totals in those five years. He led the Bills with 631 yards (8 touchdowns) on the ground in his first NFL season. He has been a Top 5 ground gainer for the club in each of his five seasons. It adds up to a combined 546 carries for 3,087 yards and 38 scores.

Those are impressive numbers. It’s also worth noting that Allen has fumbled a combined 52 times in those 77 regular-season contests. That’s not all from escaping the pocket. However, the bottom line is that this talented team is still in search of a powerful ground game. An attack that can control the tempo of the contest and also wear down defenses.

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Vital Additions

Recently, the Bills added free agent running back Latavius Murray to their offensive unit. Also in free agency, the club signed former Patriots standout Damien Harris. They join second-year-pro James Cook and versatile Nyheim Hines in the backfield. Meanwhile, the club let their 2022 rushing leader Devin Singletary test free agency and he inked a deal with the Houston Texans.

General manager Brandon Beane also added some new faces to the offensive line. Veterans Connor McGovern (Cowboys) and Kevin Jarvis (who did not play in 2022), as well as rookies O’Cyrus Torrence (2-Florida) and Nick Broeker (7-Mississippi), hope to bolster the interior.

More consistency out of the Buffalo backfield would also be a big-time asset to McDermott’s defense, which hasa faded down the stretch in recent years.