As great as the Bills offense was last season, they did struggle running the football.

General Manager Brandon Beane made it clear in his remarks immediately after the season that blame should be spread around. 

Still, a lot of focus fell on the running backs as the offseason rolled along, headlined by the debate of whether or not to select an RB in the 1st round of the draft (Clemson's Travis Etienne). 

Ultimately, Etienne was picked before the Bills were on the clock, and no significant changes were made to the position group at all.

That leaves Devin Singletary and Zack Moss once again as the backs leading the pack.

Singletary's coming off a disappointing 2nd season in the league. He ran for 687 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games, seeing his yards per carry drop from 5.1 as a rookie (2nd highest in the NFL) to 4.4 YPC. His usage did dip as the Bills offense shifted to a more pass-happy approach, averaging about 3 less carries per game.

Moss dealt with injuries at the front and back end of his rookie year. In the end he ran for 481 yards and four TDs, averaging 4.3 YPC. He was the goal line back from the very beginning. 

Their usage was interesting to monitor throughout the year. Singletary started the season with a slightly in the lead-back role, but Moss seemed to push ahead towards the end before getting hurt. Overall, the two played in 14 games together. Moss had more carries in six of those, with Singletary carrying it more in five games. Moss rushed for more yards in seven games, while Singletary produced more on the ground in six games. 

As you can see, things were pretty even and I think that is how it will begin as training camp gets underway. Sean McDermott's been non-committal regarding his desire to have a lead-back, but it is certainly possible Singletary or Moss could make a case with a strong camp and preseason. Keep in mind, though, Moss is still working his way back from a foot injury that ended his rookie year. He was in a red non-contact jersey throughout OTAs and minicamp, working on the side with trainers. We'll see if Moss is even healthy enough at the start of camp to get on the field.

Matt Breida was signed in the offseason to add a speed element to the RB group that Singletary and Moss don't present. While Breida produced as part of a time share backfield in San Francisco in 2018 and 2019, he struggled to get onto the field last season in Miami, rushing for 254 yards on 59 attempts in 12 games. 

Antonio Williams is definitely a fan favorite after his stellar performance in the Bills regular season finale last year, rushing for 63 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns in the route of the Dolphins. He yo-yoed on and off the practice squad last season, but the Bills bringing him back a few times shows what they think of the back. He is built more like Singletary and Moss, so I'd wonder his place on the roster if he doesn't present a different skillset from either of the 3rd round picks.

Christian Wade is climbing uphill again entering his third training camp with the Bills. Originally this was going to be a make-it or break-it camp for Wade, with his roster exemption as part of the International Pathway Program done after two years. But the league extended that exemption, giving the Bills the ability to keep Wade once again as a member of their practice squad without taking up a roster spot. With that in mind, Wade is really going to have to shine during camp and the preseason in order to make the 53. He could boost his value with standout play in the return game, but the Bills already have an RB whose spot is as a special teams ace in Taiwan Jones.

I'd say the Bills keep four RBs, with Singletary and Moss locks. Throw in Jones and that would leave Breida, Williams, and Wade battling for the final spot. Keep in mind that whoever wins that competition still may not be too involved during the regular season, as T.J. Yeldon was active for just 9 games over his two seasons as the 3rd RB on the depth chart.

I'll give the nod to Breida.