Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas spent good deal of time at training camp last summer watching this rookie from the sidelines. And it didn't take him long to like what he was seeing from Devin Singletary.
Witnessing first-hand what the running back had to offer the Bills offense in that camp setting reminded him of another preseason back when Thomas was the feature back for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
"The signs that I saw from him reminded me of when I was a junior and Barry Sanders was a freshman coming in (at Oklahoma State)," said Thomas.
Thomas isn't saying that Singletary is going to be the same player as his former college teammate and fellow Hall of Famer. He draws the parallel between Singletary and Sanders because of how little was known about each of them at the time when they stepped onto the scene.
"Same kind of situation," said Thomas. "Just like Devin Singletary this past summer, (Barry) hadn't shown moves, so you didn't know what this guy could do. I saw the same thing with Devin this past summer."
When Singletary began shaking defenders out of their shoes, or slipping through what looked like a sure tackle, Thomas was intrigued.
"I'm like, man…" said Thomas of watching some of Singletary's escapes to gain additional yardage. "And then in the playoff game, he showed me a lot. He showed me that this is a guy that needs to be out there. If you've got 60 snaps on offense, you need him on the field for 54 or 55 of them."
Singletary was arguably the most effective player on the field for the Bills in their Wild Card loss at Houston. He had 19 total touches for 134 yards from scrimmage, including a team-high 76 receiving yards, second only to DeAndre Hopkins 90 in the game.
"He can catch the ball. You don't just throw a running back out there to play wide receiver," said Thomas of Singletary being split out wide by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. "Usually you put them in the backfield and they run routes from there. But they put him out at wide receiver. I'm like, this kid has got something. I've been impressed with him."
Singletary's mentor, Frank Gore, was calling the rookie running back "a natural" after his first preseason game, and his opinion of Singletary was unchanged at season's end.
"A guy who loves ball," said Gore. "Great eyes, great feet. A good kid and a baller. He's just going to get better. He's going to be a great player in this league."
First-year players had very productive seasons for the Bills in 2019 on offense, defense and special teams. Scroll through to view photos and stats from Bills rookies during the 2019 season.
70 || Cody Ford || OT
The Bills selected Ford in the second round (38th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Cody Ford (70) Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos at New Era Field on November 24, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
70 || Cody Ford || OT
A standout in college at Oklahoma, Ford played in all 17 games for the Bills, starting 16 of them.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Cody Ford (70) Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens game at New Era Field on December 8, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
70 || Cody Ford || OT
He played nearly all of his snaps at right tackle during his rookie season.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Cody Ford (70) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
70 || Cody Ford || OT
Bills coaches praised his athleticism and toughness during his rookie season.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) touchdown Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
71 || Ryan Bates || OL
The Bills acquired Ryan Bates via trade during the preseason, and was on the 53-man roster for the entire season, appearing in 8 games.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates (71) Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets at New Era Field, December 29, 2019.
Photo by Sara Schmidle
71 || Ryan Bates || OL
Bates showed great versatility up front, and has the ability to play tackle, guard and center if called upon. He made his NFL debut filling in on the road at Tennessee in Week 5.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates (71)/ Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 6, 2019 . Photo by Craig Melvin
71 || Ryan Bates || OL
Bates was active and appeared in the last six games of the season for Buffalo.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates (71) Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets, December 29, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
89 || Tommy Sweeney || TE
Sweeney was a seventh round pick by the Bills (228th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney (89) Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, September 8, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Photo by Bill Wippert
89 || Tommy Sweeney || TE
Sweeney was active for and appeared in six games, making one start against the Giants in Week 2.
Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney (89). Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots September 29, 2019 at New Era Field. Photo by Craig Melvin
89 || Tommy Sweeney || TE
In the final game of the regular season in Week 17 against the Jets, Sweeney had 5 catches for 76 yards. His longest catch of the season was against the Jets as well, in Week 1 on the road for 29 yards.
Tommy Sweeney. Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets at New Era Field, December 29, 2019.
Photo by Sara Schmidle
26 || Devin Singletary || RB
Singletary joined the Bills after being selected in the third round (74th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Florida Atlantic.
Touchdown Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26)Buffalo Bills vs. Washington Redskins at New Era Field, November 3, 2019.
Photo by Sara Schmidle
26 || Devin Singletary || RB
Singletary played in 12 regular season games during his rookie season, racking up 775 yards rushing and 194 yards receiving.
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) touchdown Buffalo Bills vs Philadelphia Eagles, October 27, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
26 || Devin Singletary || RB
Singletary had 2 rushing touchdowns and 2 receiving touchdowns in 2019.
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
26 || Devin Singletary || RB
Singletary averaged 5.13 yards per carry in his rookie season, which was the highest average amongst all running backs with at least 150 carries.
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens, December 8, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
26 || Devin Singletary || RB
Singletary totaled 134 yards from scrimmage against Houston in his first career playoff game.
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on January 4, 2020. Photo by Craig Melvin
46 || Jaquan Johnson || S
Johnson joined the Bills after being drafted in the sixth round (181st overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills defensive back Jaquan Johnson (46) Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets, December 29, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
46 || Jaquan Johnson || S
Johnson appeared in 13 games during the regular season as well as the Wild Card game against Houston.
Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 17, 2019. Buffalo Bills defensive back Jaquan Johnson (46). Photo by Craig Melvin
46 || Jaquan Johnson || S
Johnson was a valuable member of the special teams units, finishing the season with 5 tackles on special teams.
Buffalo Bills defensive back Jaquan Johnson (46) Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens game at New Era Field on December 8, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
92 || Darryl Johnson || DE
Johnson joined the Bills after being selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Darryl Johnson (92) Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets at New Era Field on December 29, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
92 || Darryl Johnson || DE
Johnson played in all 17 games in his rookie season, posting 11 tackles, 1 sack and 4 special teams tackles.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Darryl Johnson (92) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
92 || Darryl Johnson || DE
Johnson was credited with a blocked field goal on a 33-yard attempt in the 4th quarter of a tie game at Tennessee in Week 5.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Darryl Johnson (92) Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens game at New Era Field on December 8, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
88 || Dawson Knox || TE
Knox joined the Bills after being drafted in the third round (96th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium on November 10, 2019. Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88).
Photo by Craig Melvin
88 || Dawson Knox || TE
Knox led the team in receiving yards against the Bengals in Week 3 when he had 67 yards and a touchdown on 3 receptions.
Buffalo Bills Dawson Knox (88) vs Cincinnati. Sept. 22, 2019. Photo by Jeffrey T. Barnes
88 || Dawson Knox || TE
Knox finished his rookie season with 28 catches for 388 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Dawson Knox (88) Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals at New Era Field, September 22, 2019. Photo by Jeffrey T. Barnes
88 || Dawson Knox || TE
Knox had a 9-yard carry against Cincinnati, making him the first TE with a rushing attempt since 2006.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals, September 22, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
88 || Dawson Knox || TE
Knox appeared in 16 games during his rookie season, starting in 12 of them.
Dawson Knox. Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans, October 6, 2019 at Nissan Stadium.
Photo by Bill Wippert
91 || Ed Oliver || DT
Oliver joined the Bills after being selected ninth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills Ed Oliver (91) vs Denver Broncos at New Era Field, November 24, 2019. Photo by Jeffrey T. Barnes
91 || Ed Oliver || DT
Oliver had 43 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and five sacks in the 2019 regular season.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) celebrates his sack of Denver Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen (2) with Shaq Lawson. Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos, November 24, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
91 || Ed Oliver || DT
Oliver became the first Bills player to start at DT in their rookie debut since Fred Smerlas in 1979.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, September 8, 2019 Metlife Stadium. Photo by Jeffrey T. Barnes
91 || Ed Oliver || DT
Oliver had four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against Dallas on Thanksgiving.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) Buffalo Bills vs Philadelphia Eagles, October 27, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Bill Wippert
91 || Ed Oliver || DT
Oliver joined Darryl Talley as the only rookie in franchise history with a sack in three straight games.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins, October 20, 2019 at New Era Field.
Photo by Sara Schmidle
Singletary's eyes and feet helped him finish second in the league in yards per carry average for players with 150 carries or more. The only player to beat his 5.1 yards per carry average was Baltimore's Lamar Jackson (6.85), his friend from their South Florida youth football days.
Thomas, however, believes Singletary's greatest asset is something different.
"Frank said great vision, but I'll go the other way, I think he's got great balance," Thomas said. "Just some of the runs that I saw over the year and really the runs that I saw in the Houston game. There were three or four times, I thought he was down and he's out for another three or four yards. It's his balance that's the key. He's what? Five-seven? So low center of gravity, built low to the ground. That's to his advantage. So he uses his balance and comes off blocks very, very well and he seems to be a powerful young man too."
Singletary did not become the Bills feature back until Week 9 against Washington, but over the final nine weeks of the season he finished sixth among NFL running backs with 603 rushing yards. This despite being given the Week 17 game off against the Jets.
Thomas believes Singletary needs to get between 20 and 25 touches a game going forward. He sees the back's ability to extend plays for extra yardage as a major asset for Buffalo's offense.
"Maximizing yardage on plays comes naturally to him," said Thomas. "The more times that he touches the ball, the more and more you'll see plays like that. He'll continue to make a lot of people miss. He needs to be the guy out there doing what I think he's capable of doing."
The Hall of Famer's only concerns about extending plays is it always increases the risk of fumbles, something that compromised his effectiveness in the Steelers game in Week 15, when he was stripped twice by the team that was the best in football at forcing fumbles this past season.
Singletary had four total fumbles on the year but lost only one.
Thomas admired Singletary's play at arm's length this year, knowing that the rookie had Frank Gore as a daily veteran voice in the locker room. If Gore does not return for the 2020 season, however, Thomas would like to offer counsel to Singletary as he enters his second season.
One area of Singletary's game where Thomas would like to offer some assistance is in picking up the blitz, an area where the Hall of Famer excelled.
"When you look at the last game against the Texans he probably needs to tighten up on his pass block a little bit," Thomas said.
It's not an assignment issue as Thomas sees it. Singletary knows where to be and when. It's more about the technique, something Thomas learned in practice going against the likes of Cornelius Bennett, Shane Conlan and Darryl Talley.
"I think it's just his positioning," said Thomas. "It's about him getting the square up look on the linebacker or defensive back and actually kind of knowing what that person does. When I had to match up with Darryl Talley and Cornelius Bennett, I knew Darryl was a guy that had long arms that was going to try to grab me before I got him. Cornelius used quickness around the edge.
"He's already in the right spots. If he can just get those hands inside on the guy who's blitzing before he gets to him, then he has an outstanding chance of limiting the number of blitzes because once you pick one or two up every single game... they might not blitz as much. Then hopefully you can hurt them in the passing game."
In no way should anyone put Singletary in Thomas' class at this point, but it is interesting to note that their rookie seasons mirror one another to some degree. Thomas saw more work as a rookie and was a more productive pass catcher, but on 45 fewer touches Singletary trailed Thomas by just 80 total yards.
| Thurman Thomas' rookie season in 1988 |
|---|
| Rushing - 207 carries, 881 yards, 4.3 avg. 2 TDs |
| Receiving – 18 receptions, 207 yards, 11.6 avg. 6 TDs |
| Totals – 225 touches, 1,089 yards, 8 TDs |
| Devin Singletary's rookie season in 2019 |
|---|
| Rushing – 150 carries, 775 yards, 5.1 avg. 2 TDs |
| Receiving – 29 receptions, 194 yards, 6.7 avg. 2 TDs |
| Totals – 180 touches, 969 yards, 4 TDs |
If there is one part of Singletary's game that is similar to Thomas' it's his ability to navigate through the smallest of creases and generate a positive gain when there's not much there to begin with.
"He can see the creases," said Thomas. "I think with his low center of gravity he can squirm through those holes and find those lanes and that one yard extra could turn into 10 because when he comes out of breaking a tackle he's ready to run again. He's not off balance, trying to find his footing. He's usually straight forward and the thing I like is he falls forward all the time."
What Buffalo's front office might add to the roster at the running back position with just Singletary, TJ Yeldon and Christian Wade currently under contract remains to be seen. But when it comes to forecasting what the young man teammates call "Motor" could do with a full season in 2020, Thomas sees big numbers.
"He'll get between 1,100 is 1,200 rushing yards if he's the main guy," said Thomas. "He had almost 800 yards rushing and how many games did he miss? Four? So four more games this year he could've had 1,100 this season. I just think the more touches he gets the better he's going to be for this offense, and it's going to take a lot of pressure off Josh (Allen)."
