The Buffalo Bills had the number one rushing attack in 2015. Is it possible the Bills running backs could be better in 2016?
Under Greg Roman’s tutelage, the Buffalo Bills had the best rushing attack in the NFL in 2015. They led the league in a number of categories including yards (2,432), yards per attempt (4.8), yards per game (152), and touchdowns (19).
No running back had an incredible year but they all contributed. LeSean McCoy had the most with 895 yards followed by Tyrod Taylor with 568, 517 for Karlos Williams and 267 for Mike Gillislee.
Roman was very effective at utilizing each of the backs strengths to keep defenses guessing and to allow each back to showcase what they do best.
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You can’t get any better than the number one rushing attack but could the Bills running backs put up better stats in 2016 then they did in 2015?
Strangely my answer is YES. The Bills backfield last year was made up of LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams, and Mike Gillislee. Heading into 2016 these three backs are still on the roster but the Bills have also added fifth round draft pick Jonathan Williams to the mix. Williams would have gone much higher in the draft if he didn’t miss his final year of college due to an injury.
There is a good chance if the Bills only carry three running backs this year, that Jonathan Williams will end up beating out Mike Gillislee for the third spot on the depth chart. On top of that, the Bills running backs all missed plenty of time last year.
McCoy missed four games, Karlos Williams missed five and Mike Gillislee was only promoted from the practice squad for the final five games of the year. If this group can stay healthier this year they have the potential to be a lot more effective than last year considering the star of the group, McCoy, only played 75 percent of the year.
The Bills will be returning most of the same starters on the offensive line and that continuity is only going to make the running game stronger in 2016.
McCoy should easily grab 1,000 yards, Karlos Williams will put up more than last season and the third running back whether it’s Jonathan Williams or Mike Gillislee will put up more than Gillislee did last year.
Tyrod Taylor might add a few less yards on the ground than last year but the backs will make up for that no problem. Bills fans should be happy with that because the less Tyrod scrambles, the less chance of injury he has.
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The 2016 Buffalo Bills rushing attack has every reason to “Billlieve” they can be better this year than they were last year when they led the league in the most important rushing stats you can measure.