Ty Johnson is probably going to make his 2026 debut in this new Buffalo Bills offense on Sunday against the Chargers, and I’m eager to see how much he’s utilized.
The do-everything scatback has repeatedly been called the best third-down back in the NFL by Josh Allen during his time in Buffalo, yet he hardly was a part of the offense the past three seasons.
Take 2025 for example. Johnson toted the rock 50 times across 17 games — essentially an average of three carries per game — the highest total to date
of his time with the Bills. He also caught 24 passes, which equated to 1.4 receptions per contest.
Before the season, I wrote on my belief that Johnson should become Buffalo’s clear RB2, not Ray Davis. That piece was centered on my thought that Johnson is simply a better overall runner with more versatility.
I’m now pushing for a larger role for Johnson because of what it’d do for the lightening of James Cook’s workload. Cook has 34 carries through two games, and for as much as I understand how silly an on-pace figure is this early in a season, I must reference one here.
The Bills superstar runner is on pace for 289 carries this season after he had 309 attempts during the regular season and 39 more during Buffalo’s playoff run a season ago. If all of his touches are counted, Cook had 298 of them in 2024 and 385 last year.
Those are some sizable numbers.
Now, as I pointed out before the season, Cook is incredibly low mileage for a now 28 year old feature back. He entered the 2026 season with only 948 career carries (counting playoffs). For perspective, his brother Dalvin had 1,409 total carries by the end of his Age 28 season. The “RB cliff” we always hear about it is right around 1,500-1,800 rushing attempts.
The Bills should do everything in their power to prolong the time it takes for Cook to get to that cliff, right?
And, yes, sample size — but Johnson has averaged 6.8 yards per touch in his time with the Bills (which is more than a full yard more than Cook to date).
With Johnson presumably fully healthy now, the Bills should start to move him into a a more substantial RB2 role. Even after missing two games to begin the 2026 campaign, Johnson should set career highs in carries and receptions this season.
I think it’d be the best for the offense as a whole — because of Johnson’s skill and versatility — and keep Cook fresh.
