Who is Ian Wheeler? Bills sign record-setting RB from UFL to add to depth chart

The Buffalo Bills have plenty of running back talent, but they've added to their RB depth chart on Thursday.

The Bills announced that they're signing Ian Wheeler, who most recently was setting records in the UFL for the Louisville Kings.

It might be a move that amounts to nothing, or it could be one that everyone looks back on as a shrewd pickup.

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Who is Ian Wheeler?

Ian Wheeler is a running back who played his college football at Howard University.

He signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted player in 2024 and had 100 yards and two touchdowns across two preseason games that year -- including scoring against the Bills, pictured at the top of this article.

He tore his ACL that preseason, though, and the Bears cut him.

He joined the Saints practice squad in 2025 but didn't get into a regular season game.

That sent him to the UFL this spring. With the Kings, he ran for 541 yards on 83 carries (6.62 yards per carry).

He had four rushing touchdowns in one game on April 26, a new UFL single-game record.

He also scored the go-ahead TD in the league's championship game, earning United Bowl MVP honors.

Bills RB depth chart

The top-three spots here look like they have for a while:

1. James Cook
2. Ty Johnson
3. Ray Davis

Davis and Johnson can flip there, depending on game state.

Frank Gore Jr. is the only other RB under contract before Wheeler. He's stuck around with Buffalo, which seems to like him as depth.

To make the team, Wheeler will likely have to leapfrog Gore Jr.

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