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Ty Johnson runs the ball in a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Buffalo Bills had one of the NFL’s most productive rushing attacks in 2025, though most of the production fell on the shoulders — and legs — of No. 1 back James Cook.
The Bills moved away from their backfield-by-committee approach of recent years, giving the biggest share of work to Cook after he signed a $48 million contract extension before the start of the season.
While Cook was the bell cow back for the Bills, third-down back Ty Johnson made some meaningful contributions. The Bills must now decide whether to keep Johnson for 2026 or part ways with the player that one insider described as a “luxury” in order to reap some cap savings.
Bills Could Part Ways With Ty Johnson
The Bills are in a familiar place this offseason, needing to make some significant moves to free up cap space in order to sign free agents. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia suggested the team could make some big moves, a combination of contract restructures and cuts that would free up space while also creating some new holes.
He predicted the team could face a difficult decision on Johnson, a productive member of the backfield but one who could be redundant to Cook.
“Johnson has played a good role for the Bills as their third-down back over the last two seasons, but it’s somewhat of a luxury at this point,” Buscaglia wrote “James Cook has the potential to become that three-down back for the Bills, and Ray Davis has shown enough in brief role increases that he can be that third-down back if they don’t want to put it all on Cook’s plate.”
Last year’s contract extension for Cook could play a big role in the decision, with Buscaglia suggesting the Bills may find they have enough invested in the backfield and cutting Johnson to garner some cap space.
“The Bills just paid Cook, so getting a third running back in the draft on a four-year rookie deal seems like a smart move, especially because it’s the halfway point of Davis’ rookie contract,” Buscaglia wrote. “Cutting Johnson would be a cap savings of $2.455 million before another contract takes its place in the Top 51.”
Ray Davis Found His Niche
Davis made himself more valuable to the team this year when he stepped in to fill the void at kick returner. The team benched Brandon Codrington early in the season and tapped Davis to fill his role as return specialist, and Davis made the move pay off by earning All-Pro honors as the league’s top kick returner.
The Bills could choose to keep their running back trio the same heading into 2026. Justin DiLoro of USA Today’s Bills Wire suggested the trio of Davis, Johnson, and Cook were effective in combination with each other, allowing the other two backs to spell Cook and give a change of pace.
“Ty Johnson and Ray Davis complemented Cook well,” DiLoro wrote. “Johnson is a solid third-down back for the Bills. He can block well, and he’s a matchup problem when he releases from the backfield. Buffalo used Davis sparingly, but when called upon, the Kentucky product was a great change-of-pace runner for Buffalo.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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