The Buffalo Bills made quick work of filling the hole in their backfield, with an insider reporting that the team planned to sign a former third-round pick to make up for the season-ending injury suffered by Nyheim Hines.
NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted on July 24 that the team planned to sign former Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears running back Darrynton Evans, who had been in Buffalo for a workout earlier that day. The move could give more depth to the backfield as training camp sets to open on July 26.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero had reported earlier in the day that Hines suffered a season-ending knee injury in a freak accident while riding a jet ski.
“While sitting stationary on a jet ski, Nyheim Hines was struck by another rider and sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” Pelissero wrote on Twitter. “Hines will require surgery and will miss the 2023 season.”
Bills Add to Backfield
Evans joined the Titans as a third-round pick in 2020, but struggled to find a role in the backfield as he had a total of 16 carries for 61 yards over his first two seasons there. Evans moved onto the Bears last season, appearing in six games and gaining 64 yards on 14 carries.
The Bills had their eye on Evans in the past. Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire reported that the team held a pre-draft interview with Evans, who at the time was a highly touted prospect from Appalachian State. Wojton noted that the Bills were impressed with his combination of skill and size, as he was listed at 5-foot-10 and 203 pounds.
“In addition to that size comes some speed,” Wojton reported. “Evans ran the second-fastest 40 time at the recent combine, a 4.41 second clip. He also had the fifth-best broad jump among running backs, 125 inches.
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“The junior averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his college career, including a 5.8 average in 2019. Last year he also flashed as a receiver adding 21 catches. In total, Evans had a massive 23 scores in 14 games last season. That combines with zero total fumbles in 482 total carries in his college career.”
The Bills ended up passing on Evans, taking Utah running back Zack Moss with the No. 86 overall pick in the third round that year. Evans was taken seven picks later at No. 93.
Moss gained a total of 917 yards through two-and-a-half seasons in Buffalo before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts at the trade deadline last season in a move that brought Hines to the Bills.
Nyheim Hines’ Injury a Major Blow to Bills
While Evans could provide depth at running back, it likely will not offset the loss of Hines who was expected to take on a more significant role in the offense. He appeared mostly on special teams after joining the team at the trade deadline, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the team’s Week 18 win over the New England Patriots.
Bills running back coach Kelly Skipper saw big potential in Hines, telling Ryan O’Halloran of the Buffalo News on July 2 that the 25-year-old running back could see more usage in the offense in 2023.
“He’s definitely explosive, but you’ll see him a little more experienced in the run game,” Skipper said, adding, “We showed him off in the pass game mostly [last year]. Now, he can function in anything we do.”
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Bills Sign Former 3rd-Round Running Back After Nyheim Hines Injury: Report