What can the Bills expect from RB Ty Johnson?

The Buffalo Bills recently had some interesting events take place in relation to the running back room. After running back Damien Harris went down with a head/neck injury in Buffalo’s Week 6 win over the New York Giants, the Bills tried to find someone capable of replacing what Harris brought to the table now that he’s on injured reserve.

On Friday, Buffalo announced that they signed running back Ty Johnson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster ahead of their matchup on Sunday against the New England Patriots. Johnson, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has been with the Bills since August when he initially signed with the team in free-agency.

With Johnson signed to the 53-man roster, it appears that he’ll get some run in a backfield headed by starter James Cook. To that point, what can be expected from Johnson in his new role for the Bills?

Kick Return Game

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One place that Johnson can fill in immediately is as a kick-returner. For one, Buffalo has three kick returns in its first six games and Harris was one of the players in the kick-return unit so Johnson can fill in there. Over his career, Johnson averages 17.7 yards per kick return and has been entrusted with that role on his previous two teams.

Receiving Game

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Another way that Johnson can be useful is in the passing game. While Buffalo rarely passes the ball to the running backs, Johnson averages 7.8 yards per reception, showing that he could be a value in that regard over Cook or Latavius Murray.

Running Game

USAT

While Buffalo will be relying more on a combination of James Cook, Latavius Murray, and Josh Allen for the ground game, Johnson is someone with a proven track record running the football. Johnson averages 4.4 yards per carry for his career, including a career-high 5.3 YPC during his 2022 season with the New York Jets.

Story originally appeared on Bills Wire