Photo: Imagn Images

Excitement surrounded Nyheim Hines's trade to Buffalo at last year's deadline. Hines struggled to further his career with the Colts, falling back behind Jonathan Taylor and Deon Jackson in the rotation. The thinking was sound; the Bills presented an ambiguous backfield without a true leader.

That excitement fizzled.

Hines established himself as a special teams contributor, delivering a signature moment of the Bills' season in returning the opening kickoff of Week 18 for a touchdown following the emotional week after Damar Hamlin's scary injury. But an offensive role never materialized. Hines finished with negative rushing yards with the Bills and dropped from four targets per game, with the Colts down to one in Buffalo. Entering his age 27 season, Hines has become a popular post-rookie-draft cut candidate.

But to quote Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."

The Resume

Hines' ability as a receiver is unquestioned. Over the last five seasons, there have been 20 seasons recording at least 63 receptions, 425 yards, and two touchdowns. Those instances are split over 11 different players:

Yes, those numbers are cherry-picked because Hines hits the minimum. But the players who hit those numbers multiple times clearly show the impact of their roles within passing offenses.

An Evolving Buffalo Offense

In Ken Dorsey’s first year as offensive coordinator, a minor change occurred within the Bills’ offense. When Brian Daboll was the offensive coordinator, running backs were marginalized. That changed under Dorsey.