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The Buffalo Bills boast the oldest and most expensive running back room in the NFL—okay, maybe that isn’t a “boast,” but it is a fact. There are nine running backs over the age of 30 currently on NFL rosters, and the Bills have two of them. Youth was definitely something that the team needed to add at the position at some point during the spring, and they did so during the NFL Draft.
When the team made a running back from a non-major conference its third-round draft choice back in April, some fans were unimpressed with the pick. Add in that the player the team selected does not possess great measurables, and there was some grousing in the immediate aftermath of the pick (some idiot even wrote that it was the worst pick of the whole draft). That idiot has changed his mind, however, after having seen the player in person.
In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we profile the heir-apparent at running back—a young man whose time may come far sooner than initially anticipated.
Name: Devin Singletary
Number: 40
Position: RB
Height/Weight: 5’7” 203 lbs.
Age: 21 (22 on 9/3/19)
Experience/Draft: R; selected in the third round (74 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills
College: Florida Atlantic
Acquired: Third-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Singletary signed a four-year rookie contract worth a total of $3,898,000, of which $1,035,824 is guaranteed. For the 2019 season, Singletary carries a cap hit of $753,956.
2018 Recap: Singletary was excellent in his final year at FAU, continuing to show big-play ability and a knack for squeezing out tough yards. He carried the ball 261 times for 1,348 yards and 22 touchdowns. Amazingly, all of those totals were lower than those tallied in his sophomore season, where he had 301 carries, 1,918 rushing yards, and 32 rushing touchdowns. In 2018, he only caught 6 passes for 36 yards.
Positional outlook: Singletary is firmly in the top part of the running back depth chart, as he has worked in with the first team along with veterans Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy. T.J. Yeldon, Marcus Murphy, Senorise Perry, and Christian Wade are the remaining running backs on the squad.
2019 Offseason: Singletary has participated in all offseason activities to date. He has flashed some of his big-play ability both on outside runs and inside runs, as his patience, vision, and burst have allowed him to break off big chunks of yardage.
2019 Season outlook: Singletary has been very impressive in the early going during his first professional training camp. He fits right in with the top-name rushers on the team, and he has done everything well. He has even flashed ability as a receiver, something that he wasn’t asked to do much in college. Early returns appear to indicate that he is a good pass-catcher out of the backfield. After watching him in person, I’m not concerned about the Combine results, as he displayed phenomenal agility (he almost looks like he floats at times his feet are so quick), great burst, and good speed. His patience and vision are remarkable, as well, and he doesn’t hesitate to hit creases when they appear. I think the Bills found a really good one here—so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if Singletary ends up Buffalo’s top back by the end of his rookie season.