INDIANAPOLIS – In an offseason that will be filled with intriguing decisions for the Buffalo Bills, one that should not be ignored is what to do about the running back position.
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On the surface, it seems pretty simple. Devin Singletary is eligible for unrestricted free agency, so let him go and turn the running game over to James Cook, the 2022 second-round pick.
If only it were that easy.
Should Singletary get signed by another team, some fans and media will shrug their shoulders and say good riddance. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m in that camp because signing running backs to a second contract never seems like good business and it’s not like Singletary was the second coming of Thurman Thomas in Buffalo.
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However, Singletary was a functional player for the majority of his four-year tenure with the team, bringing notable consistency to the position. He rarely provided the Bills with the explosive plays that you’d expect from a running back, but he was a consistent producer who averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt, caught a few passes in the pass game, and the Bills weren’t afraid to use him as a pass protector.
Several teams will be interested in Singletary; the question is whether the Bills should be one of them. Spotrac.com, a sports contract website, values Singletary at $5.4 million per season, so if that’s what the market will bear, the Bills should look elsewhere.
If Singletary’s market is flat and he can be had for little more than the $2.7 million he counted against the Bills’ salary cap in 2022, re-signing him might be worth considering, unless the Bills are convinced Cook can step into the No. 1 role and outperform Singletary.
