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4 underutilized Bills seven games into the 2024 NFL season
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4 underutilized Bills seven games into the 2024 NFL season

Having depth across the roster and therefore underutilized players is a good problem to have.

That’s the problem the Buffalo Bills are in right now, as they have a 5-2 record heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. The team is getting healthier and was reloaded with wide receiver Amari Cooper being traded to the Bills last week. Buffalo will continue to look for others to step up when their names are called with the argument that more playing time is needed for them.

Here’s a look at some players who should see more workload on the Bills.

Ty Johnson

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Many think that among all these running backs, rookie Ray Davis should get more playing time, but Buffalo may be missing something with Ty Johnson. Davis played 23% of the offensive snaps while Johnson played 26%.

What separates the two is what Pro Football Reference calls success rate on plays, which includes gaining at least 40% of the required yards on first down, 60% on second down, and 100% on third or fourth down. Davis has a 43.1% success rate on runs and a 55.6% success rate on catches. Johnson ranks ahead of Davis in both categories with 50% in rushing yards and 57.1% in receiving yards.

Johnson has 19 total touches from scrimmage for 141 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per touch. Trailing primarily by third down, Buffalo is missing opportunities to use Johnson as a way to move the football down the field better on early downs.

Relating to: Bills vs. Seahawks: 5 storylines to watch in NFL Week 8

Halil Şaki

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Although there has been an increase in Halil Şakir’s playing rate, he is only on the field for 56% of the attacking moments (even though he missed the match due to an ankle injury). Rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman is taking more snaps than Shakir at 66%, even though Shakir has more experience on offense.

Şakir began catching the ball almost automatically, as he caught 27 of 28 targets for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He averages more yards per game (52.3) than Coleman (46.6).

Amari Cooper complicates thingsHe and Coleman will start taking targets away from Shakir. Josh Allen has the difficult task of distributing the ball, but we should not forget Shakir, who is the team’s most reliable target in the passing game.

Glass Lewis

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

This has already been a career season for Cam Lewis, who has seen significant playing time since Taron Johnson missed multiple games due to injury. Lewis played 72% to 100% of snaps in each of the first five games Before Johnson returned; Lewis’ odds have dropped to 5% and 31% in the last two matches.

Lewis collected 40 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection in seven games, four starts. With Johnson back in the middle, it’s easy to see why Lewis could see less of the field. While it was nice to have him as a depth piece, he was effective enough at the point post that even with the defense at (relatively) full health, he needed to play a role in some way. Buffalo needs to find some rotation to get Lewis on the field more often.

Relating to: Bills WR Keon Coleman earns national honors for breakout in Week 7

Dawuane Smoo

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

On the defensive side, it all starts with Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa remaining on the sidelines. Von Miller is also in the photo when his sentence is completed. This gave Dawuane Smoot more time on the field as he played 49% of defensive snaps; of these, 59% were at Week 5 and 68% were at Week 6.

Smoot had 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble in five games. The former Jacksonville Jaguars might not have the same traits that Rousseau and Epenesa have, but he has a nice mix of stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback that warrants more than 50% playing time.

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