Kelly: ‘I hope’ Bills Get Star Running Back To Help Allen

Kelly: ‘I hope’ Bills Get Star Running Back To Help Allen

NFL Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly took to the media this week, hoping that the Bills can provide superstar Josh Allen with some backfield help.

“Josh can’t do everything by himself, and I hope they find a way to get a star running back,” Kelly said to News 10 NBC’s Jackson Roberts during a media appearance. “When you’ve got a guy as good as Josh Allen, you tend to probably get a little greedy,”

Kelly is certainly right about one thing, the Bills entirely overused Allen in the running game last season. Each of the last two years, Allen has had over 120 rushing attempts and 762-plus yards on the ground. It’s no doubt that Allen is a great runner, but these types of numbers are simply not sustainable for a player whose playing the quarterback position. I’d argue that the high workload on the ground affected his passing game in 2022. Allen had 13 fumbles and 14 interceptions, the highest interception rate since his rookie season.

I’m not saying the Bills should stop running Allen, because they definitely shouldn’t. It’s one of his main strengths as a player. But one thing is for certain: If you continue to run Allen like he’s your starting running back, he’s vulnerable to injury and his passing numbers are going to take a hit.

The Bills haven’t had a thousand-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy ran for 1,138 yards for Buffalo in 2017. That was the year before Buffalo drafted Allen. The closest they’ve come to that mark since Allen’s arrival came in 2021 when the now departed Devin Singletary had 870 yards on the ground. Buffalo signed former Patriot Damien Harris to replace Singletary, but will Harris provide enough star power that Kelly is referring to?

I thought Buffalo should have gone in on Christian McCaffery last season when they had the chance. Maybe San Francisco was willing to give up more for the running back position than Buffalo.

The Bills are going to sit and wait here, maybe drafting a running back later in the draft. They’re going to wait and see what they have with Harris. Maybe he can provide the spark that Kelly, and Bills fans want to see.

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