The Bills will likely just have there fullbacks block in the running game and that’s about it.  28-year Darian Barnes heads the depth chart heading into training camp.  He is 6’2″, 240 pounds and he brings a lot of experience to the position.  He played in 5 games (3 starts) for the Jets last season but he didn’t get to touch the ball.  Barnes has now played in 66 games (25 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 5 times for 10 yards (2.0 ypc).  He has also caught 14 passes for 87 yards (6.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t expect big numbers out of Barnes but he will put in a honest effort on both offense and special teams.

Jonathan Evans will be Barnes’ backup.  He doesn’t have any experience yet in the NFL but he has nice size at 6’0″, 240 pounds.  Don’t expect much out of Evans in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 2008 SEASON:  D+

The Buffalo Bills will be depending on a flock of running backs that have three years of experience among them.  Marshawn Lynch was everything the Bills expected and more as a rookie last season.  He runs with surprising power and he’s really fast as he can separate from defenders if he can get behind them.  Lynch will be the main man in the running game as long as he can stay healthy and out of jail (he’s being investigated for a hit and run accident).  Lynch played in 13 games (all starts) for the Bills last season and he carried the ball 280 times for 1,115 yards (4.0 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 18 passes for 184 yards (10.2 avg).  Look for Lynch to improve on his numbers as a rookie and for him to be the focal point of the Bills’ offense.

Fred Jackson is an overachiever as he doesn’t test well with a stopwatch but he plays much faster on the football field with someone chasing him.  He played in 8 games (1 start) for the Bills last season and he carried the ball 58 times for 300 yards (5.2 ypc) and he also caught 22 times for 190 yards (8.6 avg).  Look for Jackson to have decent numbers this season as he will likely get more playing time so that they can keep Lynch fresh for the season.

Dwayne Wright had a disappointing rookie season for the Bills.  He played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Bills last season and he carried the ball 29 times for 94 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg).  Wright better come to camp focused as he could move either up or down on the depth chart based on his performance.

Rookie Xavier Omon was a power runner at little Northwest Missouri State and it will be interesting to see how he handles the jump in competition.  If he’s impressive in camp he could have a somewhat significant role on the Bills’ as the depth chart behind Marshawn Lynch could change.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+

Trent Edwards burst onto the scene last year in Buffalo and he took the starting job at QB away from J.P. Losman.  Edwards didn’t have great numbers as a rookie but you could just tell that he was a better leader than Losman ever was.  He will need to stay healthy if he wants to keep the job and that has been a problem for him in the past including last season.  Edwards played in 10 games (9 starts) for the Bills last season and he completed 151 of 269 passes (56.1%) for 1,630 yards with 7 TD passes and 8 interceptions (70.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 14 times for 49 yards (3.5 ypc).

J.P. Losman lost the starting job last season but that doesn’t mean he won’t be ready if the Bills need him.  Losman is a really good scrambler but he sometimes has ball security problems and that gets him into trouble with the coaching staff.  Losman does have a stronger arm than Edwards does and he can get the ball downfield to Lee Evans.  Losman played in 8 games (7 starts) for the Bills last season and he completed 111 of 175 passes (63.4%) for 1,204 yards with 4 TD passes and 6 interceptions (76.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 110 yards (5.5 ypc).  The bad thing about Losman is that he is still the same QB he was earlier in his career as he hasn’t shown much improvement.  Losman has now played in 37 games (31 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 495 of 837 passes (59.1%) for 5,627 yards with 31 TD passes and 29 interceptions (77.3 QB Rating).  He also has run the ball 91 times for 419 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker will battle for the #3 QB job on the Bills and neither of them have any game experience in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

Kennard Cox stands at 6’0″, 193 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Cox will likely need to toughen up a little bit as he’s often slow in supporting on the run.  He will likely need to refine his game and he a standout on special teams to stick with the Bills.

Steve Johnson was  a player worth taking a flyer on so that’s what the Bills did.  Johnson is a big guy at 6’2″, 210 pounds and he also pretty fast.  Johnson made a lot of big catches at Kentucky often late in games.  He played in 26 games (10 starts) at Kentucky in his career and he caught 72 passes for 1,200 yards (16.7 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  Johnson will likely have to make his mark on special teams before he gets a chance on offense.

Demetrius Bell is a tall tackle at 6’5″, 301 pounds but he doesn’t play with great power.  He also played at Northwestern State meaning that he will have to face a huge increase in competition.  The one plus for him in that he is very athletic thanks to his genes as Karl Malone is his daddy.  He played in 23 games (22 starts) in his college career.  He is likely headed for the practice squad as a rookie.

Xavier Omon dominated the competition at Northwest Missouri State in college but the NFL is a completely different animal.  Still, Omon is 5’11″, 218 pounds and he is strong.  He runs between the tackles with power often lowering his shoulder and delivering a blow.  He plays quicker than his 40 time (4.66) and he makes nice cuts.  He also is a decent receiver.  Omon can’t hit the home run often because of his speed but he will battle last year’s pick Dewayne Wright for carries behind Marshawn Lynch this season.

Alvin Bowen was a productive player at Iowa State when you look at his numbers.  But he was soft and often missed tackles and that just won’t get it done in the NFL.  He is on the small side at 6’1″, 220 pounds but he runs a 4.65 40 which isn’t bad for a player his size.  He must get tougher if he wants to make the Bills’ roster this season.  Bowen played in 36 games (24 starts) at Iowa State and he made 287 tackles, had 19.5 tackles for a loss, had 4 sacks, broke up 5 passes and had 2 interceptions. 

Derek Fine is quite simply a football player.  He is 6’2″, 250 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40 so he’s not exactly the best athlete on the field.  But, he’s a solid blocker in the running game and he has good hands catching almost everything that comes his way.  Just don’t expect him to rack up yards after the catch.  Fine played in 48 games (33 starts) at Kansas and he caught 98 passes for 1,009 yards (10.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Fine will likely play in 2 TE sets as a rookie and in goal line situations.  He also will help out on special teams.

Reggie Corner has flown under the radar as he is a playmaker.  He’s a small guy at 5’9″, 174 pounds and he might only run  a 4.55 40 but he gets his hands on the football very often.  He played in 48 games (46 starts) at Akron and he finished with 197 tackles, broke up 37 passes, had 15 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles and recovered 2 fumbles.  Corner also stepped up when Akron faced tougher teams on the schedule like Ohio State.  He will likely be a nickel or dime back as a rookie but he could eventually develop into a starting player.  He will also likely help out on special teams as a rookie.