This is the 2021 Training Camp Preview for the Buffalo Bills Running Back room. This will outline every known injury from 2020 and outlook heading into 2021.
Returning:
Appeared in 16 games, 3 postseason games.
While Singletary did not have the production that he had during his rookie year, the one benefit was that he did not deal with the injuries that forced him to miss several games his rookie year.
His only injury was a right knee contusion suffered in Week 13 for which he did not miss any games. A lot has been mentioned about how he has re-shaped his body in the offseason to help him take his game to the next level.
He hasn’t been injured a lot in his football career, I don’t expect that trend to change unless there is a direct contact injury or something unavoidable and random.
Appeared in 13 games, 1 postseason game.
He runs hard and has a long injury history following him dating back to college. Appearing in 13 games and 1 playoff contest, Moss dealt with several serious injuries including:
- Right turf toe injury, Week 2, missed 3 games.
- Right knee injury, Week 13, missed 0 games
- Left high ankle sprain, Wild Card game, missed remainder of playoffs, sent to IR.
Moss suffered the turf toe injury against the Dolphins, really slowing down his growth as he adjusted to the NFL. The right knee injury didn’t appear to be much of anything and shouldn’t be a concern moving forward. As for the left high ankle sprain, it required a tightrope procedure several weeks later forcing him to limit his participating in OTA’s and minicamp.
While I am confident that Moss will be fully healthy come training camp, I am concerned that Moss will be able to avoid injury all together this fall. The ankle injury should not carry over into this season with a recurrence as the tightrope procedure has had excellent outcomes. The toe is a concern as he also dealt with the injury in college, but hopefully improving the footwear heading into this season reduces the risk to re-injure the area. However, injury begets injury, Moss has had his share of them, I don’t expect that to change, but hopefully he can minimize the time missed.
Appeared in 1 game.
A fan favorite, Williams appeared in the season finale, potentially giving rise to his chance to make the roster this upcoming season. He did not suffer any publicly reported injuries last season and briefly dealt with a foot injury during voluntary OTA’s, but did not miss any time during minicamp.
There are not any concerns moving forward other than whether he can make the active roster, but would be a near lock for the practice squad. However, if Moss can’t stay healthy, Williams could earn extra looks.
Spent season on practice squad under international pathway program.
Another fan favorite, Wade impressed during his first preseason action in 2019, giving rise to the possibility we could see him on the roster in the future. He has no publicly reported injuries and it’s too soon to tell whether he could make the practice squad as a call up during the regular season or whether he would be under the international pathway program once more.
New to the roster:
Looking for a new start after an uneventful stint in Miami and frequent injuries over his career, Breida could be a game changer due to his speed if he gets to the outside. Depending how much playing time he gets will dictate his injury risk. If he gets spot playing time like Yeldon did, I believe he could be effective when called upon. But if he has to play for an extended time, I am concerned about his durability.
Not returning:
TJ Yeldon
Appeared in 3 games.
Yeldon was mostly an afterthought despite some early run in the season. Despite such few opportunities, Yeldon still suffered a back injury in Week 8 during practice, missing the Week 9 contest.
2021 Injury Expectations
This is a room where everyone could get some serious playing time especially if injuries occur, which is a very good chance someone will. Ideally with a more consistent offensive line, injuries can be minimized and production can improve.
