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+