Billieve: State of the Running Backs

On the latest episode of the Billieve Podcast, hosts John Boccacino and Jamie D’Amico continue their offseason State of the Bills series of podcasts by breaking down and reviewing the contributions the Bills got from their running backs during the 2020 season. The Bills set a franchise record for points scored in a season (501) and tied the record for most wins in a season (13) despite getting below-average and inconsistent production from their running backs. From general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, everyone at One Bills Drive has agreed that the Bills need to run the football better in 2021. Devin Singletary led the team with 687 yards while Zack Moss had 481, and they averaged 4.4 and 4.3 yards per attempt, but after how Singletary finished during his rookie season and after the Bills spent a third-round pick on Moss, most Bills fans went into 2020 thinking the team had a strong 1-2 tandem in the ground game. That wasn't the case this year, as Buffalo ranked 25th in the NFL in yards gained by running backs (T.J. Yeldon and Antonio Williams added 133 combined rushing yards). The Bills had the fourth-highest percentage of runs that were stuffed, plays that lost yards or gained nothing, or one out of every 9.7 attempts. While much of the blame can be placed on an offensive line that often failed to open up holes and used seven different starting combinations, how much of the blame should be placed on the backs? Do the Bills need to add to the running back group to find more balance in 2021? We dissect what the Bills can do to fix their ailing ground game and run through the strengths and weaknesses of Singletary and Moss, highlighting where each back improved in 2020 while offering up areas for improvement in 2021. We sift through the rest of the backs (including Williams, free agents T.J. Yeldon and Taiwan Jones, and fan favorite Christian Wade) to see what the Bills have at running back, discussing whether Beane should use pick No. 30 to upgrade the running back room, whether there are any free agents who make sense to sign, and more. Subscribe to the Buffalo Rumblings podcast channel featuring Billieve, Blitzed Bills, Buff Hub, Buffalo Rumblings Q&A, Breaking Buffalo Rumblings, The Bruce Exclusive, Circling the Wagons , Code of Conduct and Jamie D and Big Newt: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify | Podbean | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | Megaphone Ask Alexa or Google Home to play the Buffalo Rumblings podcast! If you like our show, tell a friend and help us spread the word! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices