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Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

State Of The Bills Roster: Running Back

Originally posted on Buffalo Fanatics | By Bryce Martino | Last updated 2/12/24

This season may have been the best we’ve seen from the Buffalo Bills RB room since LeSean McCoy was in town. The Bills saw production from 1,000-yard rusher James Cook and Ty Johnson, who proved to be the future RB2 in this room. However, there will be some turnover in the backfield, and we should see some new faces for 2024. That’s not saying anything bad about Cook or Johnson. But the Bills will need to find a new RB3 in free agency or the draft, and they could bring in a vet for training camp as well. So, let’s take a look at how they played this year.

James Cook

The Buffalo Bills saw a sliver of what James Cook could be in 2022, but his production was hindered by Devin Singletary’s presence in the room as well. But, this year, we really got to see what James Cook could do. Rushing for 1,122 yards and two TDs, Buffalo will hope Cook can continue to build off of that. He is going into year three of his rookie deal.

Yards per route run among RBs since week 12:

James Cook – 3.79
Alvin Kamara – 2.07
Ezekiel Elliott – 2.01
Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 1.91
Joe Mixon – 1.89

(minimum 10 targets) pic.twitter.com/TDqoc6sw5h
— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) December 19, 2023

Latavius Murray

Buffalo signed Murray after the draft concluded and, at the start of the season, he proved to be a true goal line back. He rushed for four TDs on the year, with two of them coming in the first three weeks of the season. Murray becomes an unrestricted free agent this off-season, and he told the media he’s still undecided about his future.

Ty Johnson

Johnson signed with Buffalo late in the preseason, and started out the year on the practice squad. Injuries forced Johnson to sign to the 53-man roster, where he made a huge impact on offense and special teams. Johnson is an unrestricted free agent, and Buffalo should do all they can to bring him back.

Leonard Fournette

Fournette was maybe the biggest “what if” on the Bills this season. After signing to the practice squad, Fournette didn’t see any game action until Week 16 against the LA Chargers. Fournette totaled 12 attempts for 40 yards before being released in January.

Damien Harris

Harris signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills after losing Devin Singletary in free agency. After losing Harris to a season-ending neck injury, the Bills backfield quickly became a depleted part of their offense. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a good look at what he could become on this team. Harris is an unrestricted free agent come March, and returning to the Bills may be his best bet.

State Of The Bills Roster: RB

The backfield seems to have a bright future, and present, with James Cook leading the way. If they can bring back Ty Johnson, that could be the next one-two punch for years to come. The Bills currently have 10 draft picks and virtually no cap space. If they decide to bring in one or more RBs to this roster, it may have to come through the draft. Johnson and Harris could take cheap “prove-it” contracts. That may be in their best interests, considering Johnson hasn’t shown anything before coming to Buffalo and Harris’ serious neck injury.