Report: Bills want Bryce Brown to grow into lead back

The Bills raised eyebrows in May when they orchestrated a swap with the Philadelphia Eagles for running back Bryce Brown.

Seen initially as a dose of depth behind C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, Brown's name continues to surface as a player the team is excited about.

Plugged-in beat writer Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wrote this week that Buffalo "would like Brown to develop into one of their lead backs" as the resilient Jackson begins his age-33 campaign.

With Spiller and Jackson both entering contract years, planning for tomorrow makes plenty of sense.

Brown is a decade younger than Jackson and comes to the team after piling up 4.6 yards per carry in limited action over 32 games for the Eagles. He plowed for 347 yards in back-to-back starts for Philly in 2012 but saw his snaps wither away last season under coach Chip Kelly.

Despite offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett insisting last summer that he would feed Spiller the ball "until he throws up," NFL Films guru Greg Cosell doesn't see the versatile runner as a traditional workhorse.

"You can't do that with Spiller," said Cosell on the latest FantasyGuru.com podcast. "It could also be why they traded for Bryce Brown, who's a very, very talented player. We know Fred Jackson's up there in years.

"We don't know how that will play out, but Bryce Brown has an awful lot of talent and maybe you'll see much more of a rotation than we might think. As talented as Spiller is ... you can't give him 300 carries."

Brown remains a work in progress who already has , but his occasional flashes of brilliance suggest potential for a larger role.

The run-heavy Bills saw enough in his tape to make this trade, leaving Brown as a deep prospect in fantasy drafts.

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