The Bills running back situation right now is a hot mess. It was first reported that Karlos Williams came to OTA’s extremely overweight. It was stated that he had gained at least 25 pounds during the offseason. His excuse was his fiancé was pregnant, and he gained sympathy weight. He already was in danger of being put on the pup list for not being conditioned, and now news just broke that that he will be suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. For this to come out days after fellow rookie running back was charged with driving while intoxicated is not good for the bills or the league. The league hasn’t suspended him yet, but discipline is sure to be coming his way. So that leaves Mike Gillislee, Boom Herron, and James Wilder Jr. to back up LeSean McCoy. If you’re asking yourself “who are these guys?” don’t worry I’m asking the same thing. But as always I will try to make sense out of all of this.
Let’s start with Tyrod Taylor. Many are predicting that he will be a breakout candidate this year, but with Sammy Watkins still rehabbing, and all these running backs dropping like flies, those chances are looking slim. I say this because you need good running back play for the offense to run efficiently. We will have to see if Watkins is ready to go during training camp, as all he is doing right now is running in a straight line. We still haven’t seen him make cuts or go up against another guy. So that will be a situation to monitor, and don’t expect to see him suit up for any preseason games. Last we have shady McCoy; I would like to say that the lack of a back field means more carries for McCoy, but I don’t know if I want to see McCoy get that big of a workload at this point in his career. He battled through a hamstring injury all year last year, and those soft tissue injuries tend to linger. I guess that given the news I have to bump McCoy up in my rankings but I would definitely be concerned with his health.
As of this writing the Bills are a train wreck of a team, and have a lot of work to do. They will be a team to monitor in training camp to see how they can work out these issues. I would move Taylor and Watkins down, and move McCoy slightly up just based on the added volume.
Let’s start with Tyrod Taylor. Many are predicting that he will be a breakout candidate this year, but with Sammy Watkins still rehabbing, and all these running backs dropping like flies, those chances are looking slim. I say this because you need good running back play for the offense to run efficiently. We will have to see if Watkins is ready to go during training camp, as all he is doing right now is running in a straight line. We still haven’t seen him make cuts or go up against another guy. So that will be a situation to monitor, and don’t expect to see him suit up for any preseason games. Last we have shady McCoy; I would like to say that the lack of a back field means more carries for McCoy, but I don’t know if I want to see McCoy get that big of a workload at this point in his career. He battled through a hamstring injury all year last year, and those soft tissue injuries tend to linger. I guess that given the news I have to bump McCoy up in my rankings but I would definitely be concerned with his health.
As of this writing the Bills are a train wreck of a team, and have a lot of work to do. They will be a team to monitor in training camp to see how they can work out these issues. I would move Taylor and Watkins down, and move McCoy slightly up just based on the added volume.