Thursday Thought: Devin Singletary is the Bills Best Running Back

Welcome back to another Thursday Thought! This week I’m discussing a very hot topic amongst Bills fans after Buffalo’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. There were some stand out performances by a number of Bills rookies including: Ed Oliver, Jaquan Johnson, and Darryl Johnson. Surprisingly, the performance that wowed me the most was that of rookie running back Devin Singletary. You might think it’s too early to say this, however, while watching the game last week, it occurred to me: Devin Singletary is the Bills best running back. There are several factors that led me to make this bold statement.

For starters, the biggest thing that popped out to me was Singletary’s patience. It seemed that every time Singletary carried the ball, he waited patiently for a hole to open up, much the way Le’Veon Bell does. This running style puts a tremendous amount of stress on opposing defenders because instead of being able to shoot up the gaps, they have to stay disciplined and wait to see where Singletary will go. Singletary’s patience is very unique and many all-pro running backs don’t even have the patience he has already demonstrated. 

Another ability that Singletary has is his elite vision. This was something that scouts raved about in the pre-draft process and we got our first glimpse of it last Thursday. Devin Singletary finds holes and creases where other players simply cannot. His ability to find the open space in traffic is really special. There is a reason that his vision was compared to that of Barry Sanders. You don’t get that comparison unless you’re special, and as far as vision goes, Singletary is about as special as they come.

Another skill that Singletary gave us a taste of in the preseason game is his ability in the passing game. At FAU, Singletary was almost never used as a receiver and only had six receptions during his final season. Many scouts were concerned that it was because he was not a good pass catcher out of the back field. They were wrong. Singletary just never got the opportunity to catch the ball.  He looked very smooth in his routes and had no problems catching the football. The Bills did their due diligence to make sure that Singletary could be a weapon in the passing game and so far, it looks like he will be.  

The biggest reason why Singletary is the Bills best running back is because he’s a devoted student of the game. He is someone who works extremely hard and wants to be the best he possibly can be. He already possesses rare talent, that’s part of why he’s made it this far, but Singletary really loves this game and loves the process of getting better. This passion for football and the love of the process will only grow as he learns under two future hall-of-fame inductees, LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore.

Devin Singletary has an enormous opportunity in front of him. He’s got some unique abilities, a great attitude, and he’s on a team looking for its future at running back. I’ve got news for you, the future is today, because Devin Singletary is the best running back on the Bills. What do you think? Is Devin Singletary the best running back on the Bills? Agree or Disagree? Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/every-devin-singletary-touch-preseason-week-1 All of Devin Singletary’s Week 1 touches (Credit to Buffalo Bills)

Mitch Broder is a contributor for The Buffalo Fanatics. To contact him, email him at mitchell.broder@gmail.com or on Twitter @mitchell_broder