NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly has urged the Buffalo Bills to acquire a ’star running back’ in order to give quarterback Josh Allen some help as the franchise look to return to the Super Bowl.
Back in the 1990s, Kelly led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls between 1991 and 1994 with his team coming up short on each occasion. The AFC East side have never hoisted a Lombardi Trophy, although their fans believe the current Bills roster are on the cusp of glory after dominant showings in recent years.
When Kelly found success in Buffalo, the quarterback had Hall of Famers at running back and receiver in the form of Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed respectively. He believes current signal-caller Allen - who has received MVP consideration in the last two seasons - needs further help in the backfield, particularly with star wideout Stefon Diggs lining up on the outside.
“Josh can't do everything by himself, and I hope they find a way to get a star running back,” Kelly told News 10 NBC Rochester this week. “When you've got a guy as good as Josh Allen, you tend to probably get a little greedy.
“You want to use him more than you probably should, but (offensive coordinator) Ken Dorsey is doing a great job. I just hope that I would get that running game going to take some of the pressure off him.”
Since Allen was selected seventh overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills have not had a running back tally over 1,000 yards. Devin Singletary put up 870 yards in 2021, which was the most any player has rushed for Buffalo in Allen’s career.
Singletary signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, which perhaps Kelly disagreed with. He added: “I always thought Singletary was pretty good - I just didn’t think we used him enough.”
Despite the lack of a star running back, Allen’s legs are one of his finest weapons. The 26-year-old has surpassed 420 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground in each year of his professional career, as well as successive seasons with over 760 yards - including in 2022 where Buffalo ranked seventh in the NFL for rushing.
The Bills offence has been impressive in recent times but Kelly’s urges for running back help makes sense. The legendary quarterback desperately wants the franchise to get over the line in terms of Super Bowl glory, and Thomas went for 1,200 yards in each of the four season the Bills reached the Super Bowl. Buffalo will have sophomore James Cook and former New England Patriots back Damien Harris to call upon in 2023.
There are other options if the Bills decide to add further firepower. The franchise have been linked with a trade for Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry while Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette remain free agents.
