As the dog days of free agency are upon us, the Buffalo Bills have been in the market for the bargain bin type players that are still available. Thankfully for the Bills, this reduced salary cap in 2021 has actually kept a lot of quality free agents available because there just isn’t enough money to pay all these players this year. According to Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with running back Matt Breida.
Breida is only 26 years old and entered the league with the San Fransisco 49ers. He spent last season with the Miami Dolphins but was surprisingly underutilized. Breida had his most productive season in 2018 with the 49ers in which he recorded over 1000 yards from scrimmage and scored 5 total touchdowns.
Surprisingly, Breida does actually have some kick return experience during his time in the NFL. It isn’t high end production by any means, but his speed could make him an intriguing option to compete with Isaiah McKenzie for the role of kick returner.
It’s uncertain if the Buffalo Bills will get back to their power running scheme or if they will stick to what didn’t work in 2020, the zone running scheme. By signing Breida, the Buffalo Bills have the versatility in the backfield with him, Zack Moss, and Devin Singletary to implement both zone and power running schemes. Breida certainly excels in a zone style running game, evidently shown by his production in Kyle Shanahan’s offense in San Fransisco. His ability to find cutback lanes and hit those lanes with his speed and decisiveness could make him a valuable change of pace back for the Buffalo Bills in 2021. Additionally, Breida adds value to the backfield with his ability as a pass catcher in which he has recorded 76 total receptions for 657 yards in his 4 year NFL career.
In my opinion, this may diminish the likelihood that the Buffalo Bills utilize their 1st round pick on a running back, but signing Breida does not completely take that possibility off the table.