We're getting more in the way of training camp reports this week. Too much of it is injury-related (Tyreek Hill, Miles Sanders), but there have been some encouraging stories of youngsters turning heads. Including Buffalo's third-round running back selection, Zack Moss.
At 5-foot-9 and 223 pounds, Moss is about 20 pounds heavier than Devin Singletary and scored 36 rushing touchdowns in his last 35 games at Utah. Run one of his various highlights reels and you see him running over defenders spinning out of tackles. But Moss was also a credible receiver at Utah (28 receptions last year, and an average of nearly 14 yards per catch). He's been making some of those plays in practice, too; there's another clip circulating with him hauling in a downfield chance from Josh Allen. So typecasting him as just a goal-line complement would be a mistake.
Singletary had a nice rookie season, but didn't shine as a receiver. Of 33 catchable targets last season, he dropped 4 of them. That was one of the worst rates among running backs last year, among those with 20-plus catchable balls.
| RUNNING BACK DROP RATES, 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Drop | % | Tgt |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 31 | 7 | 18.4% | 38 |
| Phillip Lindsay, Den. | 35 | 6 | 14.6% | 41 |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | 18 | 3 | 14.3% | 21 |
| Josh Jacobs, Oak. | 20 | 3 | 13.0% | 23 |
| Devin Singletary, Buff. | 29 | 4 | 12.1% | 33 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | 53 | 7 | 11.7% | 60 |
| Tarik Cohen, Chi. | 79 | 9 | 10.2% | 88 |
| Nick Chubb, Cle. | 36 | 4 | 10.0% | 40 |
| Jaylen Samuels, Pitt. | 47 | 5 | 9.6% | 52 |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 42 | 4 | 8.7% | 46 |
| Tevin Coleman, S.F. | 21 | 2 | 8.7% | 23 |
| Latavius Murray, N.O. | 34 | 3 | 8.1% | 37 |
| Patrick Laird, Mia. | 23 | 2 | 8.0% | 25 |
| Jalen Richard, Oak. | 36 | 3 | 7.7% | 39 |
| Ty Johnson, Det. | 24 | 2 | 7.7% | 26 |
| Chris Carson, Sea. | 37 | 3 | 7.5% | 40 |
| David Montgomery, Chi. | 25 | 2 | 7.4% | 27 |
| Dion Lewis, Ten. | 25 | 2 | 7.4% | 27 |
| Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 76 | 6 | 7.3% | 82 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | 52 | 4 | 7.1% | 56 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 54 | 4 | 6.9% | 58 |
| Rex Burkhead, N.E. | 27 | 2 | 6.9% | 29 |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 30 | 2 | 6.3% | 32 |
| Damien Williams, K.C. | 30 | 2 | 6.3% | 32 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 81 | 5 | 5.8% | 86 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 116 | 7 | 5.7% | 123 |
| Kenyan Drake, Mia-Ari | 50 | 3 | 5.7% | 53 |
| Miles Sanders, Phil. | 50 | 3 | 5.7% | 53 |
| Dare Ogunbowale, T.B. | 35 | 2 | 5.4% | 37 |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 36 | 2 | 5.3% | 38 |
| DeAndre Washington, Oak. | 36 | 2 | 5.3% | 38 |
| Kareem Hunt, Cle. | 37 | 2 | 5.1% | 39 |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 19 | 1 | 5.0% | 20 |
| Kyle Juszczyk, S.F. | 20 | 1 | 4.8% | 21 |
| Chris Thompson, Was. | 42 | 2 | 4.5% | 44 |
| Royce Freeman, Den. | 43 | 2 | 4.4% | 45 |
| Nyheim Hines, Ind. | 44 | 2 | 4.3% | 46 |
| Boston Scott, Phil. | 24 | 1 | 4.0% | 25 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | 49 | 2 | 3.9% | 51 |
| LeSean McCoy, K.C. | 28 | 1 | 3.4% | 29 |
| Ronald Jones, T.B. | 31 | 1 | 3.1% | 32 |
| Le'Veon Bell, NYJ | 66 | 2 | 2.9% | 68 |
| James Conner, Pitt. | 34 | 1 | 2.9% | 35 |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 35 | 1 | 2.8% | 36 |
| James White, N.E. | 72 | 2 | 2.7% | 74 |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 39 | 1 | 2.5% | 40 |
| Duke Johnson, Hou. | 44 | 1 | 2.2% | 45 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 59 | 1 | 1.7% | 60 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | 92 | 1 | 1.1% | 93 |
| J.D. McKissic, Det. | 34 | 0 | .0% | 34 |
| Mark Ingram, Balt. | 26 | 0 | .0% | 26 |
The major takeaway is not to assume that Singletary will get the passing game chances in this offense. It wasn't a strength, and Moss can't be dismissed as a candidate for such work. The question is how large a role is he potentially in line for. A committee between the two looks possible, making Moss an intriguing target late (middle?) in drafts.
Couple of other interesting things from the above table. Todd Gurley is probably viewed by most as a good receiving back; he wasn't last season. Neither was Josh Jacobs, which explains why putting too much faith in projections of him catching a lot more passes this season looks overly optimistic.
In any case, the positive buzz on Moss might already be pushing him too high in some drafts (he went in the 7th round of a 14-team draft I'm in right now, which is pretty bold). But there's plenty of upside for a guy who hasn't gotten nearly as much hype as the second-rounders to this point. Both goal-line and passing-down chances seem to be in the realm of possibility.
--Andy Richardson