Continuing a position-by-position look at the Buffalo Bills roster with an eye toward free agency and the draft:
Position: Running back/fullback
2015 snaps:
LeSean McCoy: 55.6 percent
Jerome Felton: 26.5 percent
Karlos Williams: 22.6 percent
Mike Gillislee: 10.4 percent
Boobie Dixon: 8.4 percent
Dan Herron: 3.3 percent
Cierre Wood: 0.9 percent
Stat of note: The Bills averaged 3.36 yards per carry before contact, the highest rate in the NFL since the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles, who averaged 3.65 yards per carry before contact.
Pending free agents: Wood (exclusive-rights)
2015 cap hits (position rank):
McCoy: $7.675 million (sixth among NFL running backs)
Felton: $2.3 million (second among NFL fullbacks)
Dixon: $1.316 million (28th among NFL running backs)
Gillislee: $600,000
Williams: $578,838
Money line: The Bills can save $1.15 million, including a $100,000 roster bonus, if they release Dixon. The affable veteran was passed over on the depth chart by Herron and, later, Gillislee when injuries hit top runners McCoy and Williams. Dixon averaged 2.1 yards per carry, the second-lowest rate of 105 NFL running backs who had at least 20 carries this season. He has added some value on special teams for the Bills during his two seasons, but their tight salary-cap situation and the emergence of Gillislee as a No. 3 option could spell the end of Dixon's tenure in Buffalo. As for Felton, there has been speculation among fans if he could be a potential salary-cup cut after he had a smaller-than-expected role this season. Doing so before June 1 would actually increase Felton's 2016 cap hit by $1.85 million because of dead-money acceleration. Even if the Bills released Felton after June 1, they would only save $100,000.
Market watch: Pending free agents include Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Lamar Miller, Ronnie Hillman, Chris Ivory, Alfred Morris, Bilal Powell, C.J. Anderson (restricted), Fred Jackson, LeGarrette Blount, James Starks, Reggie Bush, Mike Tolbert, Tim Hightower, Bernard Pierce, Matt Asiata, Chris Polk, Christine Michael (restricted), Jonathan Grimes (restricted), Jacquizz Rodgers, Bryce Brown, Benny Cunningham (restricted), Stevan Ridley, Khiry Robinson (restricted), Robert Turbin, Lance Dunbar, John Kuhn, Ahmad Bradshaw, Steven Jackson, Kendall Hunter, Bobby Rainey and Pierre Thomas.
Draft need: Low-to-medium -- At first glance, this position is the deepest on the Bills' roster and least in need of an infusion of young talent. However, how certain can the Bills be that both McCoy and Williams will be healthy next season? Both players missed time with injuries in 2015 and for an offense that relies heavily on its running back, having an extra layer of depth will help. Gillislee provides one option but he is still far from a proven piece of the puzzle. Adding another running back in the mid-to-late rounds would be good business, especially if the Bills are swapping out Dixon's salary for the lesser cost of a rookie.
Crystal ball: There doesn't figure to be much activity at this position in the offseason outside of the possibility of the Bills releasing Dixon at the start of the 2016 league year in March. If they do, it's possible that Rex Ryan sets his sights on Powell, whom the Bills targeted in free agency last offseason before he returned to the Jets.
Quote of note: "Yeah and Boobie [Dixon] has done a great job you know for a number of years here and you are right. Maybe it is us looking for us to expand Mike [Gillislee]’s role as a special teams player. That could definitely be something that we look into. There is no reason to think he wouldn’t be a good special teams player." -- Ryan, Dec. 28, on if Gillislee can become the Bills' No. 3 running back and contribute on special teams next season.