Bills re-signing Ty Johnson

[billsfan89]

Smart signing, keeps RB depth solid. Probably will add a RB in round 6 or 7 for depth and special teams and add a cheap vet power back in late stage free agency to round out the backfield. A solid complement to Cook retained.

[starrymessenger]

I think Ty was a good signing. The Bills may look to the late rounds for a bigger power back. Audric Estime had a bad combine and will certainly drop. To me he has the makings of a decent short yardage power back who is capable of getting to the second level (if maybe not so much beyond). He would likely be well worth it if all you need to spend is a fifth or sixth.

[ColoradoBills]

4 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

This is how I feel about almost all our signings so far. Epenesa is the only one where I feel we got good value and couldn't have easily replaced his role with a late round or UDFA rookie.

 

Ty Johnson had a $626k cap hit with the Bills last year.  Van Demark had a bigger hit.

Beane is just signing some guys he wants to bring to camp.

He may be able to do something after the draft, but the draft is where any real help is coming from.

 

Beane could be waiting to sign 1 middle of the road UFA.  He seems to have enough cap room to do that.  I don't expect more than that.

[Motorin']

5 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Ask McD and Brady.  They rarely used Johnson--even as a Breather for Cook (going with Murray instead).  Or ask the Jets--they dumped him the season before (at a whopping 5.3 YPC!!).  Or Detroit....

 

 

Johnson's yards per carry are from samples sizes so small that they are mostly meaningless.  The fact that he averaged 22 inches more per carry than Murray doesn't move the needle.  Clearly it didn't warrant more touches, and it hasn't throughout his career.

 

This guy has been on a few bad RB rosters---and he still couldn't separate himself from the pack in the RB room. 

 

I get it--he's a cheap guy to send in for 3 plays a game to give Cook a rest.  That's all he's ever been.

 

 

Except for the one season where he had 100 touches. He produced over 600 yards from scrimmage and 4 TD's...

 

 

He's good enough to catch the ball out of the backfield on important plays in important games. 

[Mr. WEO]

31 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

He wasn't used much.  He seemed to come in late in the game and did ok.  His 7 for 7 catches averaged 9 YPC with a TD was nice.

He did pretty well when asked to play.  I don't expect too much from him but as a RB#3 the Bills have done a lot worse.

 

 

That was almost all in 1 game.  otherwise it was 3 games with  2, 4 and 9 yards. 

 

I will agree that he did "ok" in cleanup.  But there was little to see as far as vision and burst go.  Done a lot worse at RB#?  Not recently.  Moss as #3 last year before he was traded 5 games in was averaging more YPC.  In 2021, Breida had better numbers in 9 games than Johnson did in 10. In 2019 Yeldon had more yards from scrimmage in 6 games than Ty just had.   Marcus Murphy in 2018........

 

17 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

Except for the one season where he had 100 touches. He produced over 600 yards from scrimmage and 4 TD's...

 

 

He's good enough to catch the ball out of the backfield on important plays in important games. 

 

 

Not lately.  

 

And after his 600 yards year it has been a steady decline.  McD/Dorsey/Brady didn't think he was worth the touches last season, obviously.

[ColoradoBills]

5 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

That was almost all in 1 game.  otherwise it was 3 games with  2, 4 and 9 yards. 

 

I will agree that he did "ok" in cleanup.  But there was little to see as far as vision and burst go.  Done a lot worse at RB#?  Not recently.  Moss as #3 last year before he was traded 5 games in was averaging more YPC.  In 2021, Breida had better numbers in 9 games than Johnson did in 10. In 2019 Yeldon had more yards from scrimmage in 6 games than Ty just had.   Marcus Murphy in 2018........

 

 

I guess.  I think he is ok for #3.  Another "stat" could be his 5.2 yards per touch was 2nd best for all RBs except Cook (5.6).

I don't mind him coming to camp at all, but I can see others don't agree.

[Success]

He played really well for us last year.  Great depth at that position.

 

[CSBill]

7 hours ago, bills742 said:

 

 

That's good. He was a spark plug and a reliable #2 back.

[Einstein's Dog]

5 hours ago, harmonkillebrew said:

I don't dislike Ty, but did we really need to prioritize a backup RB at this stage in FA, or a backup S (Cam Lewis),  or a backup LB/ST (Morrow), or a ST gunner/backup WR (Mack Hollins), or a backup QB (Trubisky) or a FB/backup TE (Morris), or a Punter?  We have massive holes in the starting lineup and need to improve our roster with significant talent to keep up/pass the Chiefs, Ravens, etc...  yet we're focused on backups. None of these guys are impact players and they can all just as easily be replaced with rookies or signings later closer to training camp.  Take their collective salaries (Hollins, $3M, Lewis $4m, Trubisky ..., etc.) and sign a real impact player, before they're all gone. 

 

It's not about the RB per se. Its about prioritizing signing backups when we need starters in key areas.

Meanwhile the best FAs are quickly disappearing. 

The FO is acting like it wants to keep the culture it has developed over the years.  It is making a concerted effort to get a lot of the prior backups signed because of the large turnover due to our purging of the old (Hyde/Poyer/Tre/Morse). 

 

I don't know that we prioritized the signing of Ty, probably just gave him a fair market rate offer they he accepted.

 

If you're thinking the Bills are going to significantly improve the roster through Free Agent acquisitions, I think you are going to be disappointed.

[Paup 1995MVP]

5 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I mean, I like Johnson enough as a RB3/ST type. He's shown ability to handle that role. I have zero problem with him in that role again this year. But a RB2? Sorry, just don't see it. Yup, he runs hard. Yup he has some burst. But he had a whopping 30 carries last year. He is the definition of a JAG. 

 

Let me present this a different way. Say, we didn't re-sign him and he went to another team. Their lead back is down the week we play them and we are up against Johnson. You scared? Like at all? Of course not. He's really a non factor.

 

Cook really played well last year. Showed a lot of talent. That will keep getting him opportunity. However, what if his fumbles and drops continue? Sorry, but we need a RB2 that can step in there if Cook falters or gets hurt. But like I said, Johnson is an almost ideal RB3 guy. Has some pop. Can play ST. Perfect for that role. 

I like your Avatar.  He would have been our lead back under Dickie J.  There are a lot of JAG's who when given more opportunities, step up and play like big timers.  

 

I could see that with TJ.  Now I don't have a problem with bringing in another guy or two (late round draft pick, UDFA) to compete for reps with Johnson.  I just like how he ran the ball when given the opportunity.  I did not like Latavious Murray on the field in the second half of the season.  He looked like he was in his 50's pulling bags of concrete tied to his waste.  

[BuffaloBillyG]

17 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

I like your Avatar.  He would have been our lead back under Dickie J.  There are a lot of JAG's who when given more opportunities, step up and play like big timers.  

 

I could see that with TJ.  Now I don't have a problem with bringing in another guy or two (late round draft pick, UDFA) to compete for reps with Johnson.  I just like how he ran the ball when given the opportunity.  I did not like Latavious Murray on the field in the second half of the season.  He looked like he was in his 50's pulling bags of concrete tied to his waste.  

Agree on Murray. He got worn out quickly. I'd like to see one late round RB taken, along with a value vet FA (talking a vet min guy) that can take the pressure off Cook a bit with some experience and short yardage chops. 

[BillsFanForever19]

12 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

This is HUGE!!! Cook and Ty are a perfect 1/2.
 

Maybe get a cheap vet or late draft pick to round out the room. 

 

With all due respect to both you and Ty, he is the "cheap vet" to round out the room.

 

I like Ty and I'm glad he's back. Wanted him back. But I think he's in the same role as he was last year. Inexpensive RB3 and a solid guy to call on when there's injuries or one of the top 2 guys are underperforming.

 

I'd expect another vet that's a little more expensive or a mid round picks (instead of late) to be RB2.

Edited March 15 by BillsFanForever19

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

With all due respect to both you and Ty, he is the "cheap vet" to round out the room.

 

I like Ty and I'm glad he's back. Wanted him back. But I think he's in the same role as he was last year. Inexpensive RB3 and a solid guy to call on when there's injuries or one of the top 2 guys are underperforming.

 

I'd expect another vet that's a little more expensive or a mid round (instead of late) to be RB2.

good points. I love how he runs, but he hasn’t carried a full load yet. 

[NoSaint]

6 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

A lot of people are repeating this.  He had one appearance of notice (Dallas, 54 yards on 9 carries) running the ball.  The rest of his games were 0, 0, 2, 11, 19, 19, 22 and 5 yards.  What burst and vision are you referring to?

 

He had so few touches, how was he 1/2 punch?

And honestly you or I might’ve gotten some yards against Dallas. The beating inflicted in the trenches was about as lopsided as I’ve ever seen. 
 

ty is totally fine in that there are a lot of guys that are like 5’10 that run fast. The gap between rb70 and rb120 isn’t super noteworthy any given team usually has some respectable talent at rb3 or the practice squad. It’s similar to wr6 vs practice squad wr7. Every fan base thinks those guys have huge potential 
 

we would probably really like to add a back above Ty though. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like CEH or donta foreman shows up on the radar and then a late pick that will battle with Ty for active roster vs practice squad 

[In Summary]

The pride of Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, Maryland. 

[Richard Noggin]

10 hours ago, harmonkillebrew said:

I don't dislike Ty, but did we really need to prioritize a backup RB at this stage in FA, or a backup S (Cam Lewis),  or a backup LB/ST (Morrow), or a ST gunner/backup WR (Mack Hollins), or a backup QB (Trubisky) or a FB/backup TE (Morris), or a Punter?  We have massive holes in the starting lineup and need to improve our roster with significant talent to keep up/pass the Chiefs, Ravens, etc...  yet we're focused on backups. None of these guys are impact players and they can all just as easily be replaced with rookies or signings later closer to training camp.  Take their collective salaries (Hollins, $3M, Lewis $4m, Trubisky ..., etc.) and sign a real impact player, before they're all gone. 

 

It's not about the RB per se. Its about prioritizing signing backups when we need starters in key areas.

Meanwhile the best FAs are quickly disappearing. 

 

Your prioritization angle here is kinda bizarre tbh. Signing Ty Johnson doesn't mean the Bills aren't also thinking about every single other position. The money he is hopefully making doesn't really register wrt the cap. So what's the problem with filling in needs with value FAs so they aren't entering the draft with multiple obvious roster holes? 

 

Or to put it another way: are there specific FAs you would prefer? Which guys could the Bills have afforded that would have helped the Bills "keep up/pass the Chiefs, Ravens, etc." and not required even more aggressive cap management moves? 

 

Important to remember that winning free agency never results in winning games. Winning the draft, however, might. Free agency is not where the best teams allocate their cap resources. Re-signing their own guys is. Maybe there is ONE piece out there that can nudge a good team over the top, but if that was us, then who? 

[Richard Noggin]

6 hours ago, Motorin' said:

 

Except for the one season where he had 100 touches. He produced over 600 yards from scrimmage and 4 TD's...

 

 

 

I remember him flashing for the Jets that season. Had a little juice.

[harmonkillebrew]

19 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

Your prioritization angle here is kinda bizarre tbh. Signing Ty Johnson doesn't mean the Bills aren't also thinking about every single other position. The money he is hopefully making doesn't really register wrt the cap. So what's the problem with filling in needs with value FAs so they aren't entering the draft with multiple obvious roster holes? 

 

Or to put it another way: are there specific FAs you would prefer? Which guys could the Bills have afforded that would have helped the Bills "keep up/pass the Chiefs, Ravens, etc." and not required even more aggressive cap management moves? 

 

Important to remember that winning free agency never results in winning games. Winning the draft, however, might. Free agency is not where the best teams allocate their cap resources. Re-signing their own guys is. Maybe there is ONE piece out there that can nudge a good team over the top, but if that was us, then who? 

some of this was addressed by the Samuel signing.  We also need a starting FS still and another DT.

 

We have a lot of draft picks that should make the roster as backups, except we keep signing FAs that will likely outcompete them, resulting in losing many of our draft picks to practice squad signings. 

 

[Richard Noggin]

9 minutes ago, harmonkillebrew said:

some of this was addressed by the Samuel signing.  We also need a starting FS still and another DT.

 

We have a lot of draft picks that should make the roster as backups, except we keep signing FAs that will likely outcompete them, resulting in losing many of our draft picks to practice squad signings. 

 

 

We've seen this go the wrong way in recent years, no doubt. Lost or moved on from a bunch of drafted guys who maybe belong in the NFL.

 

THIS YEAR, however, there is still plenty of room to roster a rookie WR, a RB, an interior OL or even an OT, and at least 1 DT, a DE, a CB, and at least 1 S. Heck even a TE and a LB could make it at the backend. Which is just about every position. 

[transplantbillsfan]

Are any of the contract details out?