Buffalo Bills: Brandon Beane expects Zack Moss to bounce back in 2022

It doesn’t seem like the Buffalo Bills are counting Zack Moss out yet for this upcoming season

The running back position has been one spot the team hasn’t seemingly been able to get right the past few seasons. It certainly hasn’t been without trying though as the Bills drafted Devin Singletary in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and followed it up by drafting Zack Moss in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The hope was that Singletary and Moss could combine to form a one-two punch at the position that could keep defenses off balance and take some pressure off Josh Allen and the passing game.

This past season though they didn’t get that balance and the run game struggled for most of the year. The only time it seemed to turn around was when Devin Singletary became the primary running back and Zack Moss was essentially phased out of the offense.

In the final nine games, including playoffs, Moss was inactive for three and did not play in a fourth. In the five games he did play, he had only 22 rushing attempts and 80 rushing yards.

Brandon Beane believes Zack Moss has a chance to have a bounce-back year in 2022 with the Buffalo Bills

Last week, the Bills added to the running back position by drafting James Cook which could have been a signal the team was ready to move on from Zack Moss. However, general manager Brandon Beane recently spoke with Mike Silver of Bally Sports about a number of topics after the 2022 NFL Draft and Moss was one of them.

"And look, I think Zack Moss is gonna come back this year and be good. He was coming off (ankle surgery) from after the (2020 first-round playoff victory over the Colts) and couldn’t cut off his left side as well in 2021.”"

The injury certainly could have played a factor in Moss’ struggles last year. That injury occurred during the playoffs and while he was able to return in time for training camp, he may not have been fully recovered like Beane mentions.

The question though is where exactly Moss fits within this backfield. The team still has Devin Singletary and drafted James Cook in the second round as well as signed free agent Duke Johnson.

The past few seasons, the Bills have typically only had three running backs on the 53-man roster with only two active on game day. If the Bills view Cook almost exclusively as a pass-catcher, then they may want three running backs active on game day which could open up a role for Moss this upcoming season.

However, this means the Buffalo Bills would have to change up how they typically build their roster on game day which would mean sacrificing some depth at another position.

It is going to be interesting to see how they balance the workload if Zack Moss is truly able to bounce back and compete for playing time with Devin Singletary, James Cook, and Duke Johnson.