Buffalo Bills free agency 2019: Top 5 targets

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 23: Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray (25) runs with the ball during a regular season game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions on December 23, 2018 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 14: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

2. RB Latavius Murray (Minnesota Vikings)

Sometimes the numbers can be deceiving. Only eight teams in the league gained more yards rushing this past season. It says that Sean McDermott’s club averaged 124 yards per contest on the ground. It’s worth noting that seven of the NFL’s top 10 clubs in terms of yards per game on the ground reached the playoffs. As it turned out, the Bills owned the worst record (6-10) of any of those teams.

And that may be because rookie quarterback Josh Allen actually led the Buffalo Bills in rushing yards this past season. The strong-armed prospect was on the move for much of the year behind a shaky offensive line that had its issues for the vast majority of ’18.

Meanwhile, it was not a very productive season for 10-year veteran LeSean McCoy. He played in 14 games and made 13 starts. He touched the ball a total of 195 times, tying for the fewest in a season. He also totaling career lows in rushing yards (514), total yards from scrimmage (752) and total touchdowns (3). There’s little doubt that wear and tear, along with a shaky offensive line, has seemingly taken its toll on one of the league’s most productive players ever.

So could a younger and fresher but experience pair of legs in the form of running back Latavius Murray be an option for the Bills? He comes off a season in which he finished second on the Minnesota Vikings with 578 yards on the ground. But he did score six of the team’s nine rushing touchdowns in ’18.

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