The replacement may come another team or the college draft.
By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills and LeSean McCoy have had an interesting 2018 season to say the least.
Between offseason issues to not starting last week’s game against the New England Patriots, who knows what the future may hold.
On Wednesday, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said he still envisions McCoy being back for next season and believes the 30-year-old back is still buying into what Buffalo is offering.
But as they say, it’s a business. Nothing’s safe and perhaps one way or another the Bills could be searching for a replacement via free agency or the NFL Draft.
With that, here are 10 potential running backs the Bills could target for 2019:
Tevin Coleman
The former third-round pick of the Falcons has spent his entire career in Atlanta in a split backfield. The problem is the Falcons probably won’t pay the pending free agent because they just paid Devonta Freeman, signing him to a five-year, $41.25 million deal. Coleman’s certainly a versatile weapon that the Bills could utilize. Not only has Coleman averaged at least 4.0 yards per career in each of his four seasons, he’s coming off a career-high 4.7 yards per carry season in 2018. With one more catch in Atlanta’s season finale, Coleman will have a career-high in receptions as well, he currently has 31 for 267 yards. A potential all-around back replacement.
Le’Veon Bell
Bell is easily the best playmaker of any offensive position available this upcoming offseason. With that statement, it’ll cost you to sign him. The Bills will have near $90 million in cap space, but Bell opted to sit out the 2018 campaign instead of signing his franchise tender worth $14.5 million from the Steelers. Of his five seasons, Bell’s finished with more than 1,200 single-season rushing yards in the three years he’s played all 16 games. In those same three seasons, Bell’s season-low in catches is 75. He can do it all. Just depends on how much the Bills are willing to fork over and what other teams could be interested.
Damien Williams
Williams is one of three backs that will be a free agent (Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West) for the Chiefs this offseason and after they cut Kareem Hunt, they’ve got to keep somebody. But it might be Williams since he was No. 4 on their pecking order.
Despite that, Williams has started the past two games for the Chiefs and performed extremely well. He has more than 100 all-purpose yards in both outings and two touchdowns in that span, plus a 100-yard rushing game. Williams might be familiar to Bills fans, he spent the first four years of his career in a reserve role with the Dolphins and could feature in a multi-back backfield with the Bills.
Jay Ajayi
The biggest problem with Ajayi is the inconsistency he’s had in his career. With the Dolphins, Ajayi notoriously tore up the Rex Ryan Bills, but it hasn’t been like that against every opponent he’s faced. The other problem is the ACL injury he suffered this past season. Can Ajayi return from the injury? He could land a one-year “prove-it deal” with a team to show he’s still got it. That could be a strong mix if the Bills decided to draft a running back as well, allowing Ajayi to start for a year while grooming rookie behind him. Or just re-signing him afterword, if things worked out. For his career, the 6-foot bruising running back from London that also has some speed, has 4.5 yards per carry and two seasons averaging 5.8 and 4.9 yards per carry.
Branden Oliver
The Bills could likely do better than Oliver if they’re looking for a No. 1 running back, but it’d still be pretty cool because he attended the University at Buffalo. When McCoy’s offseason and off-field issues with his ex-girlfriend Delicia Cordon began, a report from ESPN said the Bills wanted to bring Oliver in for a workout. However, the report says Buffalo was interested in working out Oliver before that news broke, so it’s easy to image that the Bills could still have interest.
Oliver spent the 2018 training camp with the Colts but never signed on with another team after being a final roster cut. In 2014, Oliver broke onto the scene his rookie year with 582 yards, three touchdowns and averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He as much less successful from 2015 to 2017, including missing the entire 2016 season with an Achilles injury. He spent his entire career with the Chargers.
Orleans Darkwa
Like Oliver, Darkwa worked out for the Bills this past July but nothing came together in the end. Still, that indicates there’s at least some level of interest. The 26-year-old had a breakout season in 2017, leading the Giants with 751 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 4.4 yards-per-carry. Darkwa has also contributed on special teams during his career. After drafting Saqoun Barkely second overall at the 2017 NFL Draft, the Giants did not re-sign Darkwa. After going undrafted at the 2014 NFL draft out of Tulane, Darkwa was signed by the Miami Dolphins.
Mike Davis
Davis, 25, is still young, but would be a big roll of the dice. He was a fourth-round pick in 2015 of the 49ers and never mustered together much until this season in a logjam of a backfield with the Seahawks. Davis currently has 470 yards, three touchdowns and has averaged 4.5 yards per carry this year. The reason Davis would be a roll of the dice is because he’s only had a few games here and there as a feature back. Davis only had five games with double-digit carries in 2018 and only in one did he surpass 20 carries. Davis would likely fit in a Bills backfield that features another back too, but that’s become more the norm in the modern day NFL. Advanced metrics love Davis – according to the Football Outsiders, he’s rated 15th among RBs.
Josh Jacobs (Alabama)
Jacobs works in the Alabama backfield, which means Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is plenty familiar with him. He isn’t the starter, but many are pegging Jacobs as a top running back prospect in 2019. But Jacobs’ combination of a complete skill set and a lack of usage could make him a uniquely attractive prospect to the NFL. He’s only had 225 carries in his career with the Crimson Tide, but he averages six yards per carry. At 5-foot-10, 216 pounds, he certainly has immediate NFL size as well. The Draft Wire currently has Jacobs being selected No. 95 overall in their latest mock draft and compares him to Saints’ running back Alvin Kamara. It’s tough to imagine the Bills using a first or second round pick on a running back at this point with the number of needs the team has.
Myles Gaskin (Washington)
Gaskin is currently a senior at Washington but has had a productive four years in the Pac-12, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The 5-foot-9 back has 55 rushing touchdowns and another five receiving scores in 51 career games. His size isn’t perfect, but his results speak for themselves. Gaskin could easily be a mid-round pick for the Bills. The Draft Wire currently has Gaskin slated to be pick No. 110 by the Packers in their latest four-round mock draft.
Darrell Henderson (Memphis)
At first glance, the running back class isn’t exactly deep at the 2019 draft so the junior could declare. His numbers over the past two seasons are impressive, as he’s averaged 8.9 yards per carry over that span and currently has 25 total touchdowns in 13 games this season. Henderson is the type of back that’s an explosive, speedy playmaker which is the type that McCoy is… or was, in his heyday. The 5-foot-9, 200 pound back is currently mocked as the No. 118 pick to the Ravens in The Draft Wire’s latest mock draft.