It hasn’t been long since Mike Gillislee signed with the New England Patriots. That left two running backs on the Buffalo Bills’ roster in LeSean McCoy and Jonathan Williams. Enter UB’s Jordan Johnson. The Bills called him after Chad Kelly was the last guy drafted and signed the rusher to their team this past week. Can the undrafted Johnson jump ahead of Williams to grab the number two rushing role?
What Johnson brings to the table
Jordan Johnson’s three years with the UB Bulls have shown a year-to-year improvement. In 2014, Johnson rushed for 361 yards and averaged about 4.9 yards per carry.
The next year with the Bulls proved to be a big leap for Johnson. The 6 ft. 1 running back more than doubled his previous yardage and ran for over 800 yards. Last season, Johnson showed that he was a force to be reckoned with in the ground game. He ended up with 1040 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. In his three seasons with UB, Johnson scored 19 touchdowns.
A physical one-two punch runner
Johnson’s physical size is an asset for Buffalo. At 6 ft. 1 and 220 pounds, the running back seems to fit that power running role-similar to the undrafted Fred Jackson, who rushed for over 5,000 total yards with Buffalo until he was released in 2015. Jackson and Johnson are one-two punch runners who burst up the field.
Johnson seems to have a good shot at being that number two power guy behind the shifty Shady McCoy. Jordan Johnson’s shining college moment was when he rushed for 284 yards against Akron this past season.
The battle with Williams
Although Jonathan Williams did not get much playing time last year, his carries were not that impressive.
He gained 94 yards for the year. Williams claimed that he was still nursing a foot injury and was not able to put forth his best game. In a league where it is the next man up, this leaves the playing field open for a competition between Williams and Johnson to fight for that back-up role during the offseason.
Johnson has also shown some receiving ability.
This past season, the Buffalo native snagged 9 receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown. With Buffalo Bills’ coach Sean McDermott showing a preference for guys who demonstrate some versatility in their game, Johnson can add some flavor to the teams’ offensive fire power.
Can Johnson show McDermott that he is the number two guy? The Bills’ 2017 training camp should settle that battle.
