My 2024 "State of the Bills" positional series continues with a look at the running backs:
Under contract:
- James Cook
- Nyheim Hines
- Darrynton Evans
Pending free agents:
- Latavius Murray
- Ty Johnson
- Damien Harris
State of the position:
Cook firmly cemented himself as RB1 for the franchise last year, finishing fourth in the league with 1,122 rushing yards and accounting for another 445 yards receiving.
The 24-year-old still has two years remaining on his rookie deal. It’s a great situation for the team.
Behind Cook, there are serious questions.
The next closest running back on the team, as far as yards, was Murray with only 300, but he ran for just 20 of them over the final five games. This included being a healthy scratch in the critical regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins.
Murray did not get a single carry in the playoffs, while catching five passes.
The 34-year-old just celebrated his birthday last month, and was already the oldest running back in the league a year ago. It’s highly doubtful he comes back to the Bills.
As for Johnson, he was, essentially, the opposite of Murray. The 26-year-old did not get a carry until Week 11, but then proved to be a solid offensive player when called upon.
Johnson will now be an unrestricted free agent. He was injured most of last offseason, which is why he did not get a contract from the Bills until late August.
He’ll be healthy heading into this free agency, so even though he shouldn’t cost much, he may have a few more options.
Harris and Hines are both coming off major injuries.
Harris injured his neck back in Week 6 against the New York Giants, and reportedly contemplated retirement as he stayed on Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season.
The 27-year-old will now be a free agent and able to sign elsewhere, if he chooses to continue to play. If he’s cleared medically, a return to the Bills could also be possible.
Hines, on the other hand, is still under contract with the team. The 27-year-old tore his ACL in an offseason jet ski accident and never played in 2023.
The Bills will have a significant salary cap savings of close to $5 million in 2024 if he's released this offseason. It’s hard to see them holding onto him at a $5.48 million salary cap price.
A release or restructure at a lower salary cap are probably the two most likely outcomes.
In addition, the Bills signed Evans to a Reserve/Future contract as soon as the season ended.
The 25-year-old was Buffalo's leading rusher last preseason with 108 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per-carry. After being released, he saw regular season action with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, running 32 times for 121 yards, and adding seven catches for 49 yards.
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