The Buffalo Bills lost most of the depth in their running back room behind starter James Cook following last season, but general manager Brandon Beane is bringing one player back into the mix.
The Bills are reportedly re-signing running back Ty Johnson after he impressed in his one season in Buffalo, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia added that it’s a one-year deal for Johnson, who had 194 all-purpose yards last season and a receiving touchdown.
Johnson arrived in Buffalo late in August last season and played in the Bills’ final preseason game, rushing for a 51 yards on 11 carries against the Chicago Bears. He didn’t make the 53-man roster initially but was added to the team’s practice squad following final cuts. Johnson was signed to the active roster in late October.
Eventually, he beat out veterans Latavius Murray and Leonard Fournette to assume the number-two running back role behind starter James Cook. Fournette was released during the team’s playoff run partly because of Johnson’s strong play.
Johnson, a former sixth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2019, is entering his sixth NFL season. After one and a half seasons in Detroit, Johnson played for parts of three seasons for the New York Jets before signing with the Bills last season. Johnson tore his pectoral muscle in a 2023 offseason workout session, and the Jets released him shortly after he had surgery he didn’t want to have.
“I’ve had some dark, dark days, man,” Johnson said on Instagram. “Went to New York. I told them, even before the report, I was working out and this is what happened. I saw the team doctor, he said, ‘You need to get it fixed.’ Flew out the next day. Come back happy that I got it done even though I didn’t want to get it done.”
Johnson joins Cook as the only two returning running backs who logged carries for the Bills last season and are currently on the roster. Beane re-signed veteran running back Darrynton Evans to a futures contract a few months back, and he’ll compete for a job in training camp in the summer.