Tag: Frank Gore Jr.

Buffalo Bills approaching multiple records going into Week 18

#Bills approaching multiple records going into Week 18

The Buffalo Bills far exceeded expectations in 2024 as they head into the season’s final week with a record of 13-3 and the AFC’s two seed locked up.

Despite already having their sights set on the postseason, they have a few records they could set in Week 18 against the New England Patriots.

With the team’s success, specifically on offense led by quarterback Josh Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady, they are now in a position to make more history:

Most players with a receiving TD in a season

Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) runs after making a catch with wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) running alongside in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

With Tyrell Shavers’ long catch and run for a touchdown in Week 17, the Bills tied the NFL record for most players with a receiving touchdown in a season.

The following players caught a touchdown in 2024: Khalil Shakir; Amari Cooper; Keon Coleman; Mack Hollins; Curtis Samuel; Tyrell Shavers; James Cook; Ty Johnson; Ray Davis; Dalton Kincaid; Dawson Knox; Quintin Morris; Josh Allen.

With the Bills slated to play their backups for much of the Week 18 game, they have a good chance of breaking this record. Some players who haven’t had much of an opportunity this year will have the chance to be an NFL record-breaker.

Some potential practice squad guys who could find the endzone in Week 18 are TE Zach Davidson, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR KJ Hamler, and WR Jalen Virgil. If FB Reggie Gilliam scores his first TD of the year that would break the record as well. And, there’s always the chance an offensive linemen could catch one. Josh Allen caught a touchdown this year so nothing can be ruled out.

First team to pass and rush for 30 TDs in a season

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On the season, the Bills have compiled 33 rushing touchdowns and 29 passing touchdowns. No team in NFL history has had 30 of each in a season. The Bills can be the first to do so by throwing one more touchdown pass, and it could set this record as well as break the record above in one play.

Mack Hollins leads the team with five receiving touchdowns while James Cook leads the team with 15 rushing touchdowns.

Most wins in a regular season in franchise history

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The Bills have never had 14 wins in a regular season in team history. A win over the Patriots in Week 18 would cement this squad in its team history.

The Bills have now had five years in team history with 13 regular season wins: 1990; 1991; 2020; 2022; 2024.

Backups will likely see the majority of snaps in the game, but they could still etch their spot in team and NFL history with a strong performance.

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Yes, Frank Gore Jr. is related to that Frank Gore

The son of an NFL legend will make his professional debut on Monday night.

The Buffalo Bills are calling up the son of an NFL legend for Monday Night Football against the New York Jets.

Running back Frank Gore Jr., the son of former NFL running back Frank Gore, is being elevated from the practice squad for Monday’s game.

Gore Jr. played at Southern Miss from 2020-23 and signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent in the spring. He didn’t make the 53-man roster but signed with the team’s practice squad after final cutdowns.

Now, Gore Jr. will get his chance to play in the NFL in primetime and follow in his father’s footsteps as a professional running back.

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Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts

#Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts:

The Buffalo Bills initial roster is now fully set.

The team already announced their initial 53-man roster. The deadline for that was at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Those not included were subject to waivers and those who cleared had a chance to land on Buffalo’s practice squad.

That waiver wire was set for noon on Wednesday and has come and gone. Now we know who did get an offer to join the 16-man taxi squad.

Here is the Bills’ full initial practice squad:

  • QB Mike White
  • – RB Frank Gore Jr. 
  • WR Deon Cain
  • WR KJ Hamler
  • WR Tyrell Shavers
  • TE Zach Davidson
  • OL Richard Gouraige
  • OL Will Clapp
  • OL Mike Edwards
  • DE Kingsley Jonathan
  • DE Kameron Cline
  • DT Eli Ankou
  • DT Branson Deen
  • CB Daequan Hardy
  • CB Te’Cory Couch
  • S Kareem Jackson

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Bills rookie Frank Gore Jr. on preseason: ‘I put my best foot forward’

#Bills rookie Frank Gore Jr. on preseason: ‘I put my best foot forward’

The Buffalo Bills played their final preseason snaps against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday in a 31-26 effort that came up short.

Despite the loss, it was a big day for the team’s undrafted free agent signee and legacy player Frank Gore Jr.

Like his Father, the junior Gore signed with Buffalo, and while Gore Sr. did so near the end of his career the second member of the family to wear a Bills jersey is doing so as his is just beginning.

To that end, he helped his case in the contest, putting up a touchdown and 101 Yards rushing via 18 carries on the day. He finished the preseason with Gore finished the preseason with a total of 163 yards on 33 carries and a 4.9 yards average per attempt.

“I can’t control it, so there’s nothing that I can really do about it. But I put my best foot forward every day during camp, during preseason,” Gore said after the exhibition about his roster chances. “So, whatever they decide, they decide. They’re going to do what’s best for the team, and I’ll be fine no matter what.”

The Bills rested their offensive starters as to not risk injury, opening a door of opportunity that Gore Jr. made the most of.

While it was a preseason contest and a number of the defensive players for Carolina were backups or depth players, the rookie rose to the occasion to make a strong case for a practice squad spot with Buffalo.

“I actually felt that I was doing good throughout the preseason. It was just everyone had to rotate, so like I really couldn’t get into a groove, because I’m used to playing in college all four quarters,” he added. “So, I was excited to come out here and be able to play like a full game again. So that’s what I was looking forward to when I was ready for.”

As the Bills prepare to kick off the regular season next Sunday they will name their 53-man roster along with a number of cuts and practice squad signings. 

His head coach had some good things to say about his play in the game, despite a slight knee roll injury in the final minutes.

“I thought he did some good things as well,” Sean McDermott said to the press. “It’s unfortunate that he went down towards the end of the game there, but ran hard, and gave us some juice in there.”

He also noted his development since arriving with the Bills.
“Yeah, probably just like most rookies – probably more and more comfortable as the training camp wore on, and then preseason one to two, and then two to three as well, and just getting more and more comfortable in our run game and our system.”

Gore will likely be among those who don’t make the 53-man roster, though being signed to the practice squad and even playing in the regular season aren’t improbable despite being behind RB1 James Cook, Cook’s backup Ty Johnson, and fellow rookie Ray Davis on the backfield depth chart.

Last season saw some injuries to the Bills running backs, and this year the team hopes the current group remains healthy. 

Gore could be cut due to the crowdedness at the position, or he could be added to develop on the practice squad and even get called up at some point should a roster spot open up and the need arise.

Time will tell as Tuesday’s roster cut deadline looms whether he’ll remain in Buffalo, but no matter the outcome another Gore running back wearing number 20 Bills jersey put on a display in a ground game performance.

“Of course, I feel like I belong in the league,” the rookie noted. “I don’t know where – I hope I’m here – but it really doesn’t matter. Like I said before, (general manager Brandon) Beane’s gonna do his best for his team, and hopefully someone’s seen something in me. So, really I’ll be fine, for sure. No matter if it’s this year, next year, the year after, I’ll be fine.”

Frank Gore visited Highmark Stadium to see son’s big game

A nice moment:

One former Buffalo Bills running back was on hand in Orchard Park to watch his son put together a big game on Saturday.

Frank Gore Sr., who formerly played for the Bills in 2019, was at Highmark Stadium watching Frank Gore Jr., for Buffalo’s preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

While Carolina did win 31-26, Frank Gore Jr. stole some headlines. He put together a strong 101 rushing yards and added a touchdown.

As Gore Jr. walked off the field after the effort, one of the first people to congratulate him on his big game was his dad.

The nice moment which can be found in the clip below:

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Assessing the Buffalo Bills’ backfield for fantasy purposes

Will Buffalo rely heavily on the run with a shaky WR corps?

Heading into last season, the Buffalo Bills made the decision to let running back Devin Singletary (now with the New York Giants) depart for greener pastures. That thrust RB James Cook into the lead role. He responded. After rushing for 507 yards while splitting time with Singletary as a rookie, Cook carried the ball 237 times for 1,122 yards last year. That’s solid production from a lead back, especially with a capable running quarterback factoring in.

Things didn’t go as smoothly further down the depth chart. Damien Harris, signed from the New England Patriots to serve as RB2, suffered a severe neck injury in Week 6 and missed the rest of the season. He retired in March. With Harris lost, the team tried its luck in playing veteran Latavius Murray and even brought RB Leonard Fournette onto the practice squad in late October. While Murray (79-300-4) was the best of the bunch, the overall lack of production from that spot was an issue.

General manager Brandon Beane hopes he has addressed that with the selection of Ray Davis in the fourth round, and perhaps even via the signing of undrafted free-agent RB Frank Gore Jr. With major changes at receiver in Buffalo as well, let’s take a look at the Bills’ backfield to see who holds value in 2024.

Frank Gore Jr. recalls watching his dad play for the Bills

Already knows the ‘Shout Song’

Frank Gore Jr. has an uphill climb to make it to the Buffalo Bills final 53-man roster.

Gore signed with the Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent after not being picked at the 2024 NFL draft.

All UDFA players have a huge task in making any final roster so it’s not slight against Gore to say it’s going to be tough for him to make the roster. However, of all UDFAs that signed in Buffalo, he’ll be the one that could most-likely envision himself being on the field for a game one day.

There’s a simple reason for that. He’s already seen his dad do it.

Speaking at Buffalo’s rookie minicamp, Gore dusted off the Bills’ iconic “Shout Song” when discussing his experiences watching his dad play for the Bills. Gore said he attended at least three games at Highmark Stadium when his father was playing for the Bills in 2019.

Gore discussing seeing his experiences in Buffalo can be found in the WKBW-TV clip below:

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Bills’ UDFA Frank Gore Jr. confident after 2024 NFL draft

“No way 257 people were better than me.”

Frank Gore Jr. might have been one of the most-motivated players at the Buffalo Bills’ 2024 rookie minicamp.

Gore, who saw his father play for the Bills during his career, signed in Buffalo after the 2024 NFL draft. The Southern Miss. product was not selected by any team.

After officially joining the Bills, Gore Sr. was excited the Bills came calling.

“We’re good. We’re going to Buffalo man to do our thing,” Gore Sr. told CBS Sports. “All the scouts were like you can tell that’s my son. I [explicit] with (Brandon) Beane. He’s the real deal.”

That same type of confidence can be found in the younger Gore.

After going undrafted, Gore said at rookie minicamp he did not believe that was just.

“It pushed me a lot,” Gore said of going undrafted. “I feel like there’s no way 257 people were better than me in this draft.”

For more from Gore, see the attached Batavia Daily clip below:

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PFF: Bills’ Frank Gore Jr. was actually pretty good in college

PFF: #Bills’ Frank Gore Jr. was actually pretty good in college:

The Buffalo Bills have gone through a lot of turnover over the past few months as the team has had to find a way to get young, cheap talent in the door. As Buffalo moves through with the rest of their offseason following a successful 2024 NFL Draft, it’s good to know a player they acquired after the draft is better than most people think.

According to a recent post by the Pro Football Focus’ Bills page, Buffalo undrafted free-agent running back Frank Gore Jr. was one of the best at his position during his time in college. Gore Jr., the son of future Hall-of-Famer Frank Gore, was not drafted in this past draft despite being one of the most productive backs amongst his peers per PFF.

For starters, Gore had a 93.5 PFF grade since 2022, placing him sixth among running backs and it makes sense when you consider that Gore put up at least 1,131 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in the two seasons captured in that timespan. In four seasons for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Gore was first-team All-Sun Belt in 2022 and was second-team All-Sun Belt in 2020 and 2022.

The post also points out that Gore forced 150 missed tackles since 2022, third among RBs, showing that he has some ability to make things happen even when he meets a defender. Based on those two numbers, it seems like the Bills may have one of the bigger steals in the most recent draft cycle.

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Jets trade up for Rome Odunze in 7-round mock from The Athletic

Jets trade up for Rome Odunze in 7-round mock from The Athletic

The Jets would love to come away with a Round 1 pass-catcher Thursday night and they may very well move up the board to get it.

That’s the scenario that plays out in the final seven-round mock for the Jets by Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. He has the Jets moving up three spots in a trade with the Tennessee Titans to land Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze and instantly make the Jets’ offense much more dynamic.

The Jets may very well get aggressive in getting one of the top pass-catchers in this draft, particularly Odunze, who would immediately form one of the best young wide-receiver duos with Garrett Wilson. In this scenario, the Jets trade pick No. 134 this year and a fourth-round pick next year to make the move and jump ahead of the Falcons and Bears to land the Washington stud.

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The Titans or Falcons feel like the teams to watch if the Jets are going to trade up to get one of the trio of stud wide receivers (Odunze, Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers). I went with the Titans because I don’t think it can be ruled out that Atlanta might want to take a wide receiver after investing in Kirk Cousins. The Titans already have DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley and should still be able to get a top offensive tackle at No. 10.

As for the Jets: GM Joe Douglas has made it clear with all of his moves this offseason — and the structures of the contracts he has given out — that they are all-in on winning in 2024. So if the opportunity presents itself to go and get a wide receiver of this caliber (whether it’s Odunze, Nabers or Harrison), I don’t see why he wouldn’t pursue it. It shouldn’t take too much to move up a couple spots in the order and wide receiver is still a need, even after signing Mike Williams.

It would be interesting to know whether Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt was still on the board when this deal was made, but regardless, coming away with Odunze would be a home run on Day 1 of the draft for the Jets and all for the low price of two Day 3 picks.

The remaining picks for the Jets in this mock are as follows:

72. Brandon Coleman, OT, TCU
111. Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
185. Dominique Hampton, S, Washington
256. Jowon Briggs, DL, Cincinnati
257. frank Gore Jr., RB, Southern Mississippi