WATCH: Reggie Gilliam talks long road to extension with #Bills:
The Bills signed versatile player Reggie Gilliam to a two-year extension during training camp.
Gilliam has carved out a role on the team as a player that can lineup as a tight end but also jump in the backfield as a fullback. Bills head coach Sean McDermott has always loved his versatile players, but finding a home in the NFL hasn’t always been so clear for Gilliam.
The 24-year-old signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2020 out of Toledo. That came after an uncertain football future in college as well.
Gilliam discussed his football life up to now with his new extension during a chat with the Bills’ radio show. Check out that clip below:
#Bills FB Reggie Gilliam (@_1Sledge) joined today's show and talked about his rise as a walk-on to signing a contract extension in the NFLđâŹïž
The Buffalo Bills and Reggie Gilliam have agreed to a two-year contract extension. The team announced the transaction on Sunday.
Gilliam, 24, offers the Bills some unique position flexibility. Since signing in Buffalo in 2020 as an undrafted rookie free agent, Gilliam has lined up at both fullback and tight end.
Gilliam also contributes on special teams. In 2021, Gilliam played in 77 percent of the team’s special teams snaps.
On offense, Gilliam’s production has been limited. In two seasons, he has five catches for 39 yards. However, Gilliam does have one touchdown grab which was in the first game of his career.
Gilliam signing an extension likely indicates the Bills intend to keep him on their 53-man roster at the end of training camp.
Even #Bills FB Reggie Gilliam didn’t realize he’d be getting so much work against the #Bears:
While it’s only the preseason, the Buffalo Bills racked up a high-scoring 41-15 win against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Although it was due in no small part to the record-setting passing game and emergence of quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills ground attack has been seen as an area in need of improvement.
Bills running back Devin Singletary got the ground scoring started in the first quarter, turning what appeared to be a play that wasn’t going anywhere on fourth-and-one into a 14-yard touchdown run.
Singletary had a down-year numbers-wise last season after a breakout 2019 rookie campaign and is looking to bounce back. In the first two games of the season, Singletary has done just that.
And it caught the attention of Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who liked what he saw from his players carrying the ball.Â
âGreat effort. Guys were ready to play and to continue with that effort in the second half after the first half we had,” McDermott said during his media session. “We got off to a good start, and played well in all three phases. I thought some guys stepped up, guys that you donât hear a lot about. Reggie Gilliam carrying the ball at the end and two big returns from Isaiah and Speedy (Marquez Stevenson).â
In the second quarter, Gilliam added two 1-yard rushing touchdowns for good measure, in a game that fell one day after his 24th Birthday. It was his first pair of scoring TDâs since high school..
âGoing into the game, I had no idea I was going to be playing so much running back at the end,â Gilliam said while addressing the media. âSo I was just going out there and playing football like Iâd always done as a kid.â
The fullback plays as a blocking Tight End as well and saw time at that position last year with Buffalo after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo following the 2020 draft.
âCoach always says, âbe ready to adjust and adaptâ, thatâs what I did today,â Gilliam added.
McDermott echoed similar sentiment while praising the FB.
âReggie is a real serious young man. Football is important to him. His role is important to him as well,” McDermott said. “Happy to see him have success. Heâs worked hard. Heâs a team player. We got short a little bit on the backs and we knew going into the game he was going to need to be ready to go.â
In the third quarter, 2021 sixth-round pick WR Marquez Stevenson brought some energy to special teams with a 79-yard highlight-reel punt return score adding to Buffalo’s lead.
HOUSE CALL đ
Marquez Stevenson takes the punt for SIX! @BuffaloBills
Stevenson left the game with a limp, however, among some injuries that took place in the second half. The receiver is getting an x-ray done on his foot/ankle per Buffalo Bills PR.
Next up, the team will face a potential Super Bowl opponent in the Green Bay Packers at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 in Buffalo to roundout the preseason.Â
What we learned from Bills’ preseason win over the Bears (via @NateMendelson):
The Buffalo Bills made it look awfully easy from start to finish against the Chicago Bears in their second preseason game. The Bills leave Chicago with a 41-15 win.
As is always the case in the preseason, there were plenty of things to note in the contest when reading between the lines.
Here are eight things we learned from the Bills’ preseason win over the Bears:
This was as close to a perfect preseason game as could have occurred. The game dubbed as the “Mitchell Trubisky revenge game” fell in the Buffalo Bills’ favor in every possible aspect.
The Bills dominated the Chicago Bears in all facets, winning 41-15 in Week 2 preseason action.
Trubisky played the first half in flawless fashion for the Bills. The 2017 second-overall pick had a day against his former team, going 20-of-28 for 221 passing yards and touchdown pass.
From the first series, Trubisky was in control. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll started with a high tempo to start the game. From there, Trubisky was decisive in the pocket and accurate with his passes. It was an impressive first half, and it should give confidence that Trubisky can guide this team if he’s called upon in the regular season.
Trubisky's feeling it! On the run, he finds Jake Kumerow for the TD đ
Along with the QB, the Bills running backs flashed throughout the game.
Devin Singletary had another nice outing, making it challenging to keep him off the field in the regular season. Singletary ran only two times, but the second rush found the end zone, as the third-year pro took a toss to the end zone on fourth down.
Matt Breida made a nice play in the red zone, taking a screen pass and cutting across to the one-yard line on an 18-yard reception. Breida rushed five times for 18 yards as well. Fullback Reggie Gilliam punched in two touchdowns from one-yard out.
Overall, it seems that each running back will have a role when the regular season commences. It also showed that the offensive line, even with starters mixed with reserves, can hold their own. In particular, it was promising to see left tackle Dion Dawkins get his first action of the preseason returning from his battle with coronavirus.
Buffalo dominated the Bears offense in the first half. The Bills had a 57-percent pressure rate in the first two quarters of the game. Greg Rousseau recorded another sack this week, causing massive problems for the Bears offensive line.
The Bills defense forced multiple turnovers as well. Cornerback Nick McCloud reeled in a late first-half interception to put Buffalo in position to add points before halftime. Linebacker Tyler Matakevich forced a fumble that rookie defensive back Damar Hamlin recovered.
The Bills defense only allowed on 145 yards in the first half. They forced four Chicago three-and-outs with Andy Dalton at the helm of the Bears offense. Half of the yards allowed occurred on one play, as Rodney Adams reeled in a contested catch against Bills cornerback Siran Neal. Adams scored on the play, giving Chicago their first points on the afternoon.
Buffalo’s special teams also found the highlight reel, as Marquez Stevenson returned a punt 79 yards to the house. The entire play worked well for the Bills’ special teams unit, as Stevenson caught the ball with at least 10 yards of running room.
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Marquez Stevenson got the corner said BYE-BYE! 79 yards!
Buffalo’s defensive line worked well today, which will make it challenging for Sean McDermott and company to cut the roster down its final form. The depth positions in the secondary could be an interesting point to watch moving forward as well, as the Bills have options behind Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace, Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer.
As it’s the preseason, it’s a time to knick-pick at some things in the game. However, most of the issues occurred with players deep on the roster bubble. When Justin Fields entered the game, the defensive line had to adjust to a mobile quarterback who could make something happen outside of the pocket. Even so, the unit improved at keeping Fields at bay as the game progressed.
The only challenge from this game: the roster bubble questions will still exist. Jake Kumerow put together a nice game, but it was matched by a couple of drops. Isaiah McKenzie fumbled a punt but returned with a solid overall game, catching seven passes for 72 receiving yards. Matt Haack, who isn’t facing a challenge on the roster, did not have a stellar day punting. Davis Webb fumbled on consecutive possessions. Tight end Dawson Knox had a drop.
But I’m reaching for negatives, especially in a four-score victory.
It’s all smiles in western New York. The bottom of the roster will have one more chance next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills had to rally against the Jets to seal their fifth victory of the season.
The Bills needed a bounce back after two consecutive loses to the Chiefs and Titans, respectively, and they got it against the Jets. It wasn’t easy, especially in the first half, but the Bills rallied from being down 10-0, to pull out an 18-10 victory.
The Bills needed rookies from all across the roster to make plays, whether it was fullback Reggie Gilliam, cornerback Dane Jackson, defensive end AJ Epenesa, or kicker Tyler Bass. It was a great team performance, that was marred by an inconsistent red zone offense, poor decision-making, and bad penalties.
Buffalo still pulled out the victory to sweep the Jets in 2020 and move to 5-2 on the season. With that, let’s see who performed or underperformed in New Jersey via this week’s stock report:
Stock up
Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Dane Jackson
The Bills came into their game against the Jets with a secondary that’s missing some key pieces, cornerbacks Josh Norman and Levi Wallace were both out due to injury. It’s also a secondary that hasn’t made many plays this season, but rookie Dane Jackson, in his first career game, looked up to the task. Jackson started off strong by breaking up a pass on third down to force a New York field goal early in the contest.
Jackson continued his debut by making three tackles, breaking up two more passes, and picking off quarterback Sam Darnold once. It was the type of performance that the Bills secondary hasn’t seen this season, and Jackson could have played himself into a starting role in the backend of the season.
Tyler Bass
Kicker Tyler Bass hasn’t had the best start to his NFL career, but the Bills never had to rely on the rookie… until they faced the Jets. Buffalo’s offense struggled once they made it into Jets territory, that meant Bass needed to produce. He attempted eight field goals, making six of them, with a long of 53 yards.
Frankly, Bass was one of the reasons that Buffalo beat the Jets, while Bass hasn’t been perfect this year, he showed up when his team needed him.
Cole Beasley
While Buffalo only scored 18 points they moved the ball relatively well up until the they hit the red zone and receiver Cole Beasley was a big part of that. Beasley finished the day 11 catches, a new career high, for 112 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen found Beasley on the underneath routes, and then Beasley made defenders miss when the ball was in his hands.
Beasley also made a tremendous one handed grab in the red zone, showing his awareness and great hands.
Jerry Hughes
This spot could have gone to the entire defensive line because for the first time this season the Bills generated consistent pressure with their front four. The Bills defense sacked Darnold six times, with two of the six coming from Jerry Hughes. The other four came from the likes of: Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, AJ Epenesa, and Trent Murphy.
Hughes finished the game with six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and the game sealing interception.
Honorable mentions
Josh Allen had a bounce back performance with 368 total yards, but made some bad decisions that cost his team points. Zach Moss, the rookie back, had a strong second half, finishing the game with 72 total yards. Tyler Kroft, the lone tight end had four catches for 64 yards.
Josh Allen and co. impressed against Miami in their week two victory
The Bills 31-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins had a little bit of everything: a power outage, a lightning delay, a goal line stand, and Josh Allen throwing for over 400 yards. At times, Buffalo looked electric on offense, with Allen hitting different receivers in different parts of the field. That was reflected in the first half as the team jumped out to a 17-10 lead before halftime. As the Bills offense started to get into gear, their defense bottomed out. Dolphins quarterback, and Bills fan favorite, Ryan Fitzpatrick ripped the Bills secondary to shreds, throwing for more than 300 yards.Â
The Bills relied on Allen, Stefon Diggs, and theior offensive weapons to win them the game in Miami, and they delivered. That’s new and that’s great.
Now letâs look at who performed, and who hindered the Bills vs. the Dolphins in this week’s stock report:Â
In two consecutive weeks Allen leads the charge for the Bills. Last week, he threw for a career-high 312 yards and contributed three touchdowns. This week, he threw for a staggering 417 yards and four touchdowns. Allen looked crisp from the jump, hitting the likes of Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown in the center of the park, gashing the Dolphins in the process. In Buffaloâs Week 1 victory, most of Allenâs completions came within 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. This week he was pushing the ball downfield, hitting receivers John Brown, and Isiah McKenzie for over 40-yard gains.Â
While completing 68.5 percent of his throws, and throwing for four touchdowns, Allen is putting up some impressive numbers early in the season, letâs see if he can extend this run against a tougher Rams defense in week three.Â
Stefon Diggs
Hereâs another familiar face from last week. Diggs had a nice game against the Jets, but against the âFins he had a miraculous game. The receiver had eight catches, for 153 yards, and one touchdown, his first with the Bills. Whenever Allen needed a big play he looked toward his new target, and for the most part, he delivered. Whether it was on third down, or starting a drive, Allen threw it Diggs way, and the Dolphins didnât have an answer.Â
Diggs will have a massive challenge lining up against cornerback Jalen Ramsey against the Rams in Week 3, but he will definitely be up to the challenge and that’s going to be one of the best battles to watch this season.Â
John BrownÂ
Brown continued his streak of strong performances in a Bills uniform, with five catches, 82 yards, and one touchdown. His highlight catch was a 49-yard touchdown reception, where he lived up to his nickname âSmokeâ in that he completely smoked Miamiâs secondary with his underrated speed. Miami seemed overly concerned about Diggs, leaving Brown with one-on-one matchups throughout the game. Allen and Brown exploited those matchups giving Buffalo big plays throughout the contest.Â
Ever since the offseason acquisition of Diggs, pundits have made claims that the Bills could have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league, and through Week 2 theyâre living up to the hype.Â
Tyrel DodsonÂ
In a week where the Bills missed their two starting linebackers, Tyrel Dodson had to fill the void left by Tremaine Edmunds, and for the most part he stepped up. Dodson was one of the vocal leaders on defense, and also third on the team in tackles with eight. While he doesnât have the athleticism or length of Edmunds, he still was able to fill gaps in the run game and apply pressure to Fitzpatrick when called upon.Â
Dodson starting at linebacker every week isnât what McDermott or Leslie Frazier want but he was an effective stop-gap against the Dolphins.Â
Honorable mentions
Receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis deserve a shout, Beasleyâs 70 receiving yards set-up a majority of Buffaloâs touchdowns, and then Davis had an exceptional touchdown grab to give Buffalo the lead in the fourth quarter. Ed Oliver had a great sack on Fitzpatrick, and some decent tackles in the run game, but was largely ineffective throughout the game. Finally, fullback Reggie Gilliam, who had one catch, for one yard, and one touchdown, the first of his NFL career.Â
Buffalo Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam scores on a pass from Josh Allen vs. the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills opened their scoring against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 by using an unlikely target. Fullback/ tight end Reggie Gilliam, an undrafted rookie free agent signee of the team, had his dream come true in the game.
Gilliam scored his first-career touchdown to open the game’s scoring, putting the Bills up 7-0 in the first quarter. Gilliam made an impressive catch on the pass from quarterback Josh Allen, too.
Here’s the play the Bills used to get Gilliam’s first TD on the goal line:
Cornerback Levi Wallace explains the tough situation Buffalo Bills’ undrafted rookie free agents are in.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott touts his “process” and “culture.” Much of it is coach-speak, but some of it does hold weight. McDermott’s found a way to bring players to Buffalo who want to be with the Bills, a task that previously seemed unattainable.
In order to do so, McDermott’s been true to his word in one sense. If you earn a spot, you play. McDermott even discussed the “next man up” mentality earlier this training camp. When searching for proof of this concept, look no further than Levi Wallace.
Formerly an undrafted rookie free agent of the Bills, the cornerback has made 23 starts for the Bills over the past two seasons. Now in 2020, Wallace is battling for the starting gig he’s held across from Tre’Davious White against former All-Pro Josh Norman. Even that alone is something that seemed unlikely at one point in time.
While battling to keep that job, Wallace, who spoke from his team’s training camp on Tuesday via video conference, said there’s something else near and dear to him on his mind despite his competition vs. Norman. Due to the crazy offseason the NFL is enduring thanks to COVID-19, current UDFA rookies have an even further uphill battle than he had in 2018.
Wallace had preseason games to show his worth. Heck, he even had some padded practices, the Bills won’t have any of those for another week. In lieu of those opportunities for his fellow UDFA brethren, Wallace said he’s trying to be a mentor of sorts to such players in the Bills locker room this offseason.
“I struggle with that, thinking that, if I would have come out during this time, you guys would have never heard of Levi Wallace, if there was no preseason games or any more opportunities for me to be able to compete or to get looked at by other teams. There’s no telling when the next undrafted free agent could be a 10-year starter in this league,” Wallace said. “It’s tough, it’s tough and I empathize with them and my heart goes out to them. But at the end of the day, this is just where we’re at and I can’t make the rules and I don’t have any pulls on the string. This is just the circumstances and I think those guys… I’ve taken them under my wing, you know? To try and motivate them and encourage them and do the best that they can during this time because it’s hard, especially being undrafted.”
So far this offseason, the Bills are looking to give some of these UDFAs an opportunity in Orchard Park. Before even getting on the field, as a safety measure, the Bills had to trim about 10 guys off their usual training camp roster as a safety precaution. In a typical offseason, NFL teams have 90 players in training camp. Instead to promote social distancing, teams only carry about 80 in 2020. But when making a few cuts, the Bills kept many UDFAs around.
Some do reside in the defensive backfield with Wallace, such as cornerback Ike Brown and safety Josh Thomas. There’s also other UDFAs scattered around the roster that have some promise surrounding their skill set. Those include offensive lineman Trey Adams and fullback Reggie Gilliam.
Having a guy like Wallace around, who’s proven it’s possible, is a fantastic component the Bills have in their arsenal to try and get the best out of UDFAs as possible. Wallace isn’t alone, either. Other former undrafred player who’ve made a successful career for themselves in the NFL include wide receiver Cole Beasley, defensive end Mario Addison and safety Dean Marlowe.
