90 Buffalo Bills players in 90 days: RB Ty Johnson

Yahoo

2 days ago

The Buffalo Bills, like most other modern NFL clubs, use a committee approach to their offensive backfield. The days of 300-carry backs are largely gone, although there were as many players to hit the 300-carry plateau last season (six) as there were in the previous three seasons combined. That might signal a shift in usage for some teams, or might just have been an anomaly.
For the Bills, their leading rusher hasn't topped 300 carries since 2005, when Willis McGahee rushed 325 times for 1,247 yards. Only once in head coach Sean McDermott's tenure has a running back even eclipsed 250 carries, and that was LeSean McCoy in the head coach's first season with the club, 2017. In short, it's good to familiarize yourself with the names on the depth chart at running back, because there's a good chance that each player is going to see time during the season.
When certain business issues take place, the chances of seeing other faces increase. In today's edition of '90 players in 90 days,' we discuss a running back who may be in for a bigger workload this season.
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Name: Ty JohnsonNumber: 26Position: RBHeight/Weight: 5'10', 210 poundsAge: 27 (28 on 9/17/2025)Experience/Draft: 7; selected by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (No. 186 overall) of the 2019 NFL DraftCollege: MarylandAcquired: Signed with Buffalo on 8/21/2023
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Johnson re-signed with the Bills this offseason, inking a two-year deal worth $5 million overall. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $1.975 million if he makes the 53-man roster. His entire base salary becomes guaranteed if he's on the roster for Week 1, so that's $1.17 million that guarantees thanks to his status as a vested veteran if he suits up against the Baltimore Ravens. If the Bills release him, they'll carry a dead-cap number of $1.99 million.
2024 Recap: Johnson spent the entire season as the team's third-down back, working into tight situations all throughout the year. He was an integral part of the team's offense both as a runner and as a receiver, but a sneaky value of his comes as a pass protector.
Johnson was active for all 17 of Buffalo's regular-season games, starting one, and he was also active for all three of the team's postseason matchups, where he also made one start. In the regular season, he carried 41 times for 213 yards and a touchdown, adding 18 receptions on 25 targets for 284 yards and three touchdowns. That's an average of 8.4 yards per touch in limited asks.
In the postseason, Johnson rushed 20 times for 94 yards, and he caught all four of his targets for 34 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown.
Positional outlook: Johnson is one of five running backs on the current roster. James Cook, Ray Davis, Darrynton Evans, and Frank Gore Jr. are the others. Reggie Gilliam is the team's only fullback.
2025 Offseason: Johnson is healthy and participating in training camp activities. He was the team's leading rusher in their preseason opener against the New York Giants, carrying three times for 26 yards in the 34-25 defeat.
2025 Season outlook: I'd say that Johnson is a lock for the RB3 gig, slotting in as the third-down back and whenever offensive coordinator Joe Brady wants to give a defense a different look. But given James Cook's extended 'hold-in' this summer, that description of Johnson's role might actually be underselling him a bit.
Johnson's floor is as a third-down back, but his ceiling in terms of usage is much, much more. He is a great receiver out of the backfield and an explosive runner who can quickly escape from 'the phone booth' and rip off long gains. His value as a pass protector can't be understated, either, as he allows offensive coordinator Joe Brady to call things that he really can't call with either Cook or Davis in the game.
I don't expect Cook to hold out once the regular season begins, but I also don't believe that head coach Sean McDermott is going to put him back in immediately if he doesn't come back to practice before the season starts. I can see a scenario where Cook sits out multiple times throughout the year for various aches and pains that he otherwise would have played through, thereby giving Johnson a chance to see an increase in his workload.
Johnson isn't going to join Willis McGahee as a 300-carry back, but then again, nobody on this roster is going to do that. What Johnson can be is a dynamic presence who breaks a big play to flip a game in Buffalo's favor. He's going to have plenty of chances to display that dynamic ability this season.