J.D. McKissic won’t sign with Buffalo Bills, decides to return to Washignton
One day after it was reported that the Buffalo Bills had agreed to terms with running back J.D. McKissic, the pass-catching running back has decided to return to his former team. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McKissic will sign with Washington for the same contract he had agreed to with Buffalo, which was a two-year deal worth $7 million.
Schefter provided clarification for the reasoning in the change of heart from McKissic by stating at the time he agreed to the Buffalo Bills deal, Washington had yet to offer a contract. However, Washington agreed to match and McKissic didn’t want to leave.
The addition of McKissic made perfect sense as it gave the offense a running back who excels as a pass-catcher and could compliment Devin Singletary, who would remain the lead back, at the position.
Background on the change of heart: Washington initially didn’t offer J.D. McKissic a deal - until he agreed to one in Buffalo, per his agents Doug Hendrickson and CJ LaBoy. Once McKissic heard Washington was willing to match the offer, he didn’t want to leave. https://t.co/E7TvPcYYZQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2022
This is now the second time during the legal tampering period this offseason that a player has reportedly agreed to terms but then elected to join another franchise. The other player was Randy Gregory, who reportedly agreed to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys but instead signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
Buffalo Bills must now go back to the drawing board
The loss of McKissic is certainly big but it does provide some clarification on where the front office wants to take this position. It is clear that Singletary is viewed as the lead running back and general manager Brandon Beane wanted to find a player who could help some with the work on the ground but more importantly find a player who excels as a pass-catcher to help Josh Allen in the passing game.
The Bills had hoped that Matt Breida could be that player last year but that never materialized as Breida saw limited snaps during the season.
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The Buffalo Bills will likely continue to look at free agents to address this need but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them wait until the NFL Draft. There should be a number of running backs in those middle rounds that could be good fits in this backfield.