Bills Pursuit of New RB Nyheim Hines Goes Back Years

While several teams made big swings at the November 1 NFL trade deadline to bring in big names to change the trajectory of their seasons, one of the best teams in the league, the Buffalo Bills, made a smaller move. The team traded for Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines — which may seem small — but it is a move Bills general manager Brandon Beane has been trying to pull off for years.

Bills GM Brandon Beane has had his eye on Nyheim Hines for a long time

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Brandon Beane has put together an incredible offense for the Buffalo Bills. The team is loaded with weapons for quarterback Josh Allen. Wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, and tight end Dawson Knox are all top-notch players.

The Bills haven’t seemed to find the perfect running back to go with Allen and company yet, though. Devin Singletary is a fine player, and Zack Moss has been underwhelming in his two-plus seasons in Western New York.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the team took James Cook out of Georgia in the second round. Cook’s speed and pass-catching skillset seemed like a great fit in the Bills O. However, he fumbled his first pro carry and has been working his way back into head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s good graces ever since.  

At the trade deadline, the Bills made a move to bolster the running back position. The team traded Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick (that can become a fifth-round pick) to the Colts for Hines.

After the trade, Beane joined the Pat McAfee show and revealed that Hines had been a long-term target for the team.

“He’s a guy I’ve had my eye on before. We’ve checked into him, just like you check into guys at different times. A couple of summers ago — I believe it was during the COVID summer — I really didn’t think we had that piece in the backfield for Josh as an outlet player. And so we looked, and at the time, the Colts were not interested,” Beane shared.

“We checked back another time. But things change at various times in this league for different reasons. This was one of those we checked into at the last minute before the deadline,” Beane told McAfee. “The timing was better for them and for us.”

Hines brings exactly what the Bills need in the backfield. He is fast, can catch the ball well, pass block, and is a sneaky-efficient runner as well. In four-plus seasons in Indy, Hines has 300 carries for 1,205 yards, 235 receptions for 1,725 yards, and 17 touchdowns.

The veteran runner could take over from Singletary as the No. 1 back if he can demonstrate his running prowess. At worst, he will likely be the team’s no-doubt 3rd-down back starting as soon as Week 9.

This isn’t a huge needle-moving trade, but it is the type of deal that could pay off big in the postseason for a team like the Bills. And for Brandon Beane, it’s a move he’s envisioned for at least two-plus years.

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