Zack Moss

Moss will compete with rookie fifth-round pick Evan Hull and Deon Jackson for the privilege of backing up Jonathan Taylor this season. Moss entered training camp as the favorite as both the incumbent and the player with greater draft pedigree -- a 2020 third-round pick -- but he's now uncertain for Week 1 after suffering a broken arm at the end of July. Furthermore, Hull is no pushover and has plenty of pass-catching experience after serving as the workhorse at Northwestern. Moss did much better in his eight-game audition with Indianapolis last year than he did in the two prior seasons with Buffalo, playing well in a four-game stint as starter following Taylor's season-ending ankle injury, and it's worth remembering that Moss was probably a better player at Utah than Hull was at Northwestern. That said, Hull is faster and quicker than Moss, which could lead to a co-backup sort of situation.

The 2020 third-round pick enters his third season in Buffalo with more questions than answers. During his rookie year, Moss looked like a solid rotational player with an average of 4.3 yards per carry. In 2021 his YPC dropped sharply to 3.6 but an increase in receiving kept his overall production somewhat level with the previous year. However, the drafting of James Cook and signing Duke Johnson have put Moss' role on notice as the 2022 season approaches. Expect Cook to start chipping in on Singletary's workload right away, and the rookie could even leapfrog Moss in short order for the No. 2 role.

A third-round pick in 2020, Moss spent most of the season locked in a timeshare that didn't allow him or Devin Singletary to shine most weeks. Singletary amassed more raw production, but Moss might be the Bills' better bet going forward to emerge as a reliable backfield lead. A physical runner who not only seems to enjoy contact with defenders but has the balance and nimbleness to stay on his feet after a collision, Moss recorded 13 broken tackles on only 112 carries last year, the fourth-best rate in the league. (Singletary managed only nine on 156 totes). Moss also didn't see many targets as Josh Allen preferred gunning the ball downfield, but his college resume and strong performance when he was utilized as a receiver suggest he has significant room for growth in that area if given the chance. Despite those strengths, Moss remains a wild card for the upcoming campaign. Any back who has to share red-zone and goal-line carries with Allen, much less with another RB as well, is going to have trouble scoring TDs, and Singletary, a third-round selection in 2019, doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It might take an injury to clear up the logjam for touches in the Buffalo backfield.

A 2018 knee injury discouraged Moss from leaving for the NFL early, and he seemed to make the right decision after an impressive final season at Utah convinced the Bills to nab him in the third round of this year's draft. A physical back at 5-9, 223, with three-down potential, Moss doesn't just invite contact; he seeks it out so he can plow through more defenders on his way to the end zone. His outstanding balance allows him to stay on his feet through big collisions and gives him the potential for big gains after contact. That running style, and his college knee injury, do invite concerns about durability, but joining a backfield with Devin Singletary already in place should help keep Moss fresh and ready to hammer through another linebacker. Given their respective abilities, the duo could be interchangeable for the Bills rather than cleanly splitting early down and passing-down roles - a situation that would bode well for Moss' efficiency as he works behind a solid offensive line.