The Buffalo Bills made some big changes at the running back position over the past year and in fact, only one running back is still on the roster. That running back is James Cook, who the Bills took in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Over the past year, the Bills have traded away Zack Moss in a move that brought them Nyheim Hines and signed Damien Harris, away from their AFC East rival, as well as Latavius Murray. They made these moves to replace Devin Singletary, who left in free agency to join the Houston Texans.
However, the Bills weren't the only team in the AFC East to make notable changes and it is now time to rank each running back room in the division from worst to first.
AFC East running back rotations ranked from worst to best in 2023
4) Miami Dolphins
Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., De'Von Achane, Myles Gaskin
The margin between the fourth and first team isn't really that wide and it wouldn't be surprising to see any of these teams emerge as the best by the end of the season. However, starting off these rankings are the Miami Dolphins with Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. returning for their second season with the team.
These two running backs combined for almost 1,300 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns but the wild card is De'Von Achane, who was a third round pick by the Dolphins. The rookie out of Texas A&M has incredible speed and is a home run threat but is pretty small at 5'8" and 188 pounds.
The Dolphins have three running backs who can break off big runs at a moment's notice but also could end up struggling behind a poor offensive line. The lack of size and having a balanced running back room is what holds them in the fourth spot.
3) New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris
The New England Patriots have probably the best running back in the entire division with Rhamondre Stevenson but rank where they do because the depth is questionable after him. This past season, Stevenson had 1,040 rushing yards but also had 69 receptions and 421 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns.
Based on the rest of the position, Stevenson should see almost all the work at running back and the Patriots are probably going to have him on the field for over 80% of their snaps.
The one running back who might see regular work after Stevenson is Ty Montgomery, who started in the NFL at wide receiver before moving to running back and has spent most of his career at the position. However, durability is a concern for Montgomery as he has only played in 21 games over the past three seasons.
The position is rounded out by Pierre Strong Jr., a fourth round pick in 2022, and Kevin Harris, an undrafted free agent signing, who have upside but are unproven. If one of these two emerges as a consistent threat out of the backfield, it certainly will help their rankings.
2) New York Jets
Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda, Zonovan Knight
The other running back that has a claim to be the best running back in the AFC East would be Breece Hall. Last year's second round pick had a tremendous start to his career with 463 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns in seven games.
Unfortunately, Hall suffered a torn ACL that would end his season and it remains to be seen how the injury will impact him moving forward. Back in May, general manager Joe Douglas was optimistic that Hall would be ready for the start of the season.
However, that is not a certainty and that is probably why the Jets are rumored to be one of the landing spots for Dalvin Cook. If the Jets don't add Hall, they still have some talent in the backfield with Michael Carter. In two seasons, Carter has 1,041 rushing yards, 613 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns.
Carter is a bit more of a receiving back and that is why the Jets would draft Israel Abanikanda in the fifth round. He is more of a power running back that can take the workload off Hall or be paired with Carter to begin the year.
1) Buffalo Bills
James Cook, Damien Harris, Nyheim Hines, Latavius Murray
The Buffalo Bills may not have the top running back like the New England Patriots or New York Jets but the reason they have the best running back room in the AFC East is because none of the other teams have the combination of experience and skill sets that the Bills do.
At the top of the position should be James Cook, and truthfully his performance this year is make or break for the entire position. He has the talent to be one of the top playmakers in the entire NFL at the position and should now have the opportunity to showcase that with Singletary no longer on the roster.
He should be paired with Damien Harris, who is an excellent downhill runner that is only two years removed from a double digit rushing touchdown season. There is certainly durability concerns with Harris who has dealt with injuries in his career but the addition of Latavius Murray mitigates some of those risks as he brings a similar skillset.
This then leaves Nyheim Hines, who has ranked near the top of the league in receptions by running backs over the past few years. He wasn't heavily involved in the offense last year after the Bills traded for him during the season. Similar to what Murray is to Harris, Hines could step in for Cook as a receiver out of the backfield at any point and fill that role.
The Buffalo Bills have recently not been a great running team but with the moves made over the last year that should change moving forward.