Bills Today | A South Florida RB connection + Quessenberry adds experience to O-line group

South Florida connection in the running back room

The Bills’ running back room is filled with four guys from South Florida, a rare occurrence for a single position group. The group from South Florida is comprised of Devin Singletary who’s from Deerfield Beach, Zack Moss of Hialeah Gardens, and Miami natives James Cook and Duke Johnson.

For Johnson, having this hometown representation in the running back room is a good thing, but also reminds him he’s not getting any younger.

“When I first got here it was, ‘I used to watch you growing up, I used to watch highlights of you growing up’, so it made me feel kind of old,” Johnson laughed. “But it’s fun because we all know what the goal is and we all come from the same area, so we know how to push each other, how to bring out the best in one another.”

This is the first time the Miami native has experienced this type of connection with his running mates and he’s already seeing it pay off on the field.

“The level of competition starts from when we were kids, playing in Liberty City, well that’s where I played,” Johnson said. “But just the level of competition is different and it kind of prepares you for all levels of football.”

When looking at the running back group, Johnson sees plenty of talent next to him; each player has a specific trait that elevates the depth of the room and contributes to the strength of the Bills’ offense. A healthy competition also helps each player strive for success.

“We all try to challenge each other to do the things we don’t do well,” Johnson said. “We try to push each other in that aspect to get better in what we don’t do well because we all understand what our niche is and what teams know we can do.”