The Buffalo Bills have signed T.J. Yeldon to a two-year contract, per Adam Schefter who initially reported the news. Other contract details are pending at this time. Yeldon spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bills are signing former Jaguars’ RB T.J. Yeldon to a two-year contract, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 22, 2019
T.J. Yeldon Signs With Buffalo Bills
Yeldon played in 14 of 16 games last season, starting in five of those games for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yeldon missed the last two weeks of the season, one due to an ankle injury, and the other from a coach’s decision to not play him. Yeldon finished the season with 414 rushing yards, averaging four yards per carry, and one rushing touchdown. Yeldon made his biggest impact in the passing game, notching 55 receptions, 487 yards, and four receiving touchdowns. He scored five times in 2018, a career high for him.
In each of Yeldon’s four seasons in the league, Yeldon has missed at least one game every single year. While Yeldon does not have a lengthy injury history, Yeldon has not proved to be a feature back in the NFL. Since rushing for a career-high 740 yards in his rookie campaign, Yeldon has not netted over 500 yards rushing in his last three seasons.
Over the years, Yeldon’s role in the Jaguars backfield has certainly diminished. During his rookie year in 2015, Yeldon was the feature back for the Jaguars offense. He beat out the likes of Denard Robinson, Toby Gerhart, and Bernard Pierce. In 2016, Yeldon’s stats dipped dramatically, while sharing the backfield with Chris Ivory. He only rushed for 465 yards and two total touchdowns.
In 2017, it was all about the addition of Leonard Fournette, the former LSU star running back. Yeldon only played in 10 games, with the first six being healthy scratches. Yeldon had career lows in rushing and receiving yards, only having 79 total touches.
Yeldon was born and raised in Daphne, AL, attending Daphne High School. His emergence began his sophomore year, rushing for over 1,000 yards. His most notable accomplishment was winning the 2011 Alabama Mr. Football Award over current Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston. He later joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2012 and played all three years with the Tide. Yeldon ran for 3,322 yards and 46 rushing touchdowns in his career. The Alabama running back corps was deep so there were games where Eddie Lacy or even Derrick Henry dominated the carries.
