Who Will Lead the Charge in the Buffalo Bills Backfield?

The State of the Bills Offense

Before I provide my prediction on which of the talented running backs in the Buffalo Bills backfield will lead the backfield, I want to take a moment to appreciate the position the Bills are in. The team is moving in the right direction both on offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Of course, the Bills defense has been stellar for a multiple seasons now, but the offense is finally coming into its own.

With a middling offensive season last year, many analysts and fans were left to feel that the offense was still missing a few pieces. The Bills management team was well aware of their lack of offense and has brought in multiple new faces to improve the offense significantly. With the additions of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and rookie running back Zack Moss, I feel the Bills offense is in a much better position than it was just one year ago. I believe that Diggs and Moss actually complement each other, providing much-needed balance to an offense that appeared to be incomplete in the 2019 NFL season. Moss is most certainly going to benefit from Stefon Diggs and receiving corps performing at a higher level, opening up the running game for a physical running back like Zack Moss.

The Bills Running Game

With an understanding of where the Bills offense was last season and where the team is hoping to move towards with the additions of Stefon Diggs and rookie Zack Moss, it’s clear that the offense plans to run a balanced offense that will potentially lean slightly more towards the running game. With this in mind, and not ignoring the presence of the now second-year running back Devin Singletary, I think Zack Moss is bound to receive a solid number of touches per game, mainly in the running game, leaving the majority of the passing-catching game to Devin Singletary.

Comparing the size of Zack Moss and Devin Singletary, it’s apparent that Moss at 5-foot-9 and 220lbs and Singletary at a small 5-foot-7 and 200lbs, Moss is better suited for a full workload across a 16-game season. I believe that based on their size as well as each of their running styles, Moss will naturally climb to the starting role with 15-20 touches per game and Singletary managing 10-15 touches. However, it’s worth noting, that Singletary’s touches will likely include a balance between rushes and catches, as I think he can be better utilized in the open field within the screen game.

I don’t want to disregard what Devin Singletary accomplished in his rookie season with the Bills, but I don’t see him having the size or the physical game that can provide consistent and healthy play throughout a season. However, I do think he will be incredibly valuable down the stretch, especially as a change-of-pace running back to Zack Moss’s physical style of running.

Conclusion

So there you have it, I see Zack Moss becoming the lead running back for the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 season, but I do see the Bills giving enough touches to each Moss and Singletary to keep them engaged in every game, keep opponents on their heals, and maintain some sort of deception as to which running back will receive a touch each time they step on the field.