The Starters: LeSean McCoy / Jerome Felton (FB)
The Backup(s): Mike Gillislee, Jonathan Williams, James Wilder Jr, Karlos Williams (suspended); Glenn Grownkowski (FB)
The Skinny: At the beginning of the off-season, you’d think that the suspended running back going into the season would be LeSean McCoy – stemming from an incident with off-duty cops at an after-hours club – but you’d be wrong. Instead, you have Karlos Williams on the shelf for four games for substance abuse. Add in his weight gain in the off-season and you have a man that’s going to catch some jokes (and some flak) from the fans and his team.
In the interim, while the Bills attempt to convince Reggie Bush to take the league minimum to back up McCoy, the Bills have a capable backup in Mike Gillislee and the rookie Jonathan Williams. James Wilder Jr as a street free agent will also have an opportunity to prove he can take the reigns as a power back in the pre-season.
On the fullback side of the ledger, Jerome Felton didn’t get the usage he envisioned when coming to the Bills as a high price / high priority free agent. But he is challenging himself to make the most of his opportunities and with the acquisition of Gronkowski, that attitude will afford him well – because if Gronkowski can prove he will do the job say 70% as well for a 10th of the cost, Felton may hit the bricks.
Who’s Safe: Out of the group running back wise, McCoy and Jonathan Williams seem the safest. Karlos will have to be in the best shape of his life and kill it in pre-season to get back into the good graces of Rex and the staff. Gillislee has a shot to stick as number two and Wilder most likely is headed to the practice squad.
At fullback, it’ll come down to how well the pre-season goes (or doesn’t go) for Felton. If “baby Gronk” can step his game up and prove to be effective as an H-back, Jerome might be out of luck. Because the Bills rely so heavily on the run game, it’s going to be important to see these 7 men show their best work in the pre-season.
Up Monday – Receivers.
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