In 2020, the Buffalo Bills would select running back Zack Moss out of the University of Utah in the third round. This would be the second straight year the Bills drafted a running back in the third round after selecting Devin Singletary in the third round the prior year.
The thought was that Moss could be more of a power running back to compliment Singletary who is smaller and more elusive. He showed some flashes as a rookie, like in Week 8 against the Patriots when he had 14 carries, 81 rushing yards, and two touchdowns.
However, Moss suffered an ankle injury in the AFC Wild Card Round against the New England Patriots. The injury appeared to linger into this season as he didn’t look like the same running back and regressed after finishing with 345 rushing yards and an average of 3.59 yards per rush attempt.
Can Zack Moss bounce back with the Buffalo Bills in 2022?
Now entering his third season with the Buffalo Bills the question is whether he can bounce back and if he will even have enough opportunities to show that? Earlier this offseason, general manager Brandon Beane said, according to Mike Silver, that he believes the ankle injury played a bigger role in his performance and he should be fully recovered and be good this season.
However this season the backfield looks pretty crowded with Devin Singletary likely retaining his role as the primary ball carrier and with the addition of James Cook, who should see significant snaps as the pass-catching running back, there may not be much available in terms of snaps for Moss.
The Buffalo Bills have also not typically had more than two running backs active on game day so it is possible that Zack Moss could be inactive most weeks this season.
Even with the struggles last year, the talent is there and Zack Moss can still develop into a quality running back in the NFL and that potential is why he is ranked 15th on the Buffalo Bills roster among players who are 25 or under entering the 2022 season.