Frank

Gore

Oliver and WR Curtis Samuel (elbow/neck) are both being activated today. Samuel cannot reasonably be viewed as a reliable contributor, but the Bills’ wide receiver room is thin. Oliver’s return should have a larger impact on the game. Despite missing much of the season, he ties for third on the team with three sacks. The Bills are also elevating WR Mecole Hardman and RB Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad.

Poyer made first-team All-Pro in 2021 and went to the Pro Bowl in 2022 while playing with the Bills. The 34-year-old safety spent 2024 with the Dolphins, where he started 16 games and had 98 tackles. The Bills already have Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp as starting safeties, though Bishop has had a shaky training camp and preseason. The Bills also signed to their practice squad QB Shane Buechele, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Stephen Gosnell, WR Kristian Wilkerson, TE Keleki Latu, OL Travis Clayton, OL Dan Feeney, OL Kendrick Green, DT Zion Logue, DT Jordan Phillips, LB Jimmy Ciarlo, LB Keonta Jenkins, CB Daequan Hardy, CB Dane Jackson and S Sam Franklin.

The Bills also waived WR Stephen Gosnell, OT Travis Clayton, DE Paris Shand, DT Marcus Harris, DT Zion Logue, LB Jimmy Ciarlo, LB Keonta Jenkins and OT Tylan Grable. The Bills released WR Deon Cain, WR Kristian Wilkerson and TE Zach Davidson.

It’s a big moment for Gore, who signed with the Bills as a rookie UDFA this offseason, but the elevation draws James Cook’s Week 6 availability into question. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg said of the decision that it “will be interesting to see what this means” for Cook, while noting it “doesn’t seem to be a positive development for his injury status.” Cook, who is dealing with a toe injury, did not practice on Thursday or Friday but was able to log a limited session on Saturday. He enters tonight carrying a questionable tag, and said on Saturday he plans to play, so we’ll see what happens when the Bills announce their inactives 90 minutes before kickoff. In the event Cook is unable to go, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson would be the favorites to work in his place, with Davis likely earning the early-down touches.

The son of NFL legend Frank Gore, the rookie from Southern Mississippi had a good preseason rushing the football, totaling 163 yards on 33 carries (4.9 ypc) and one touchdown including a stellar performance (against back-ups) in the final preseason game against the Panthers where he ran for 101 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. It should be noted that Gore Jr. was only asked to take a snap in pass protection four times during the entire preseason, so there are likely some concerns about his ability there which could be why the Bills feel good about exposing Gore Jr. to waivers in the hopes that they can get him back on their practice squad.

Future Hall-of-Famer Frank Gore’s son, Gore Jr. (5'8/201) was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and proceeded to have a three-star career at Southern Miss. Gore went 4-for-4 on 700-yard rushing campaigns, including 1,000-yard efforts each of the past two years, but hovered around 5.0 yards per carry for his career, settling at 5.3. That’s a good mark, of course, but not the elite one usually borne by future NFL runners. Gore did acquit himself well enough as a pass catcher, catching 75 career balls, 27 of which came in 2023. Compact and stout with good contact balance in the estimation of NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Gore sees the field well but isn’t an overly explosive athlete. Zierlein believes Gore ultimately lacks the traits of a future locked-in backup.

Gore Jr (5'8/185) gave us flashbacks to Darren McFadden and the 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks as he got the start against Louisiana Tech on Friday night. In the first half, Gore Jr threw two touchdown passes, one was a perfect 39-yard post route and the other a calculated jump ball. He did throw an ugly interception in the third quarter doing the same thing, but the success Gore had under center was impressive in leading the Golden Eagles to an upset victory and getting their second win on the season. They take on Florida International next Saturday to finish out their season.

Southern Miss was newsworthy this week when they didn’t list a quarterback on their depth chart. After last week’s game against UTSA, head coach Will Hall has mentioned the possibility of being creative with the quarterback position and there were hints of that all last Saturday. Gore (5'8/185) was in the wildcat frequently against the Roadrunners and it translated to Friday night’s game where he got the start at quarterback. After a fumble by the Golden Eagles on the first play, they used four players at quarterback on their touchdown drive. This will be something to monitor as the Golden Eagles try to get their second win on the season.

The quarterback position has been a problem for Southern Miss all season as six different players have taken a snap under center. The Golden Eagles who are 1-8 on the season, felt their best chance to beat the undefeated UTEP was just let Frank Gore Jr. do everything. Gore got a lot of snaps under center as they went heavy with the Wildcat. He got the Golden Eagles on the board when he pushed through the line scrimmage and ran the ball for nine yards, giving them their first touchdown after a 14 drive drought dating back to last week against North Texas. They would also go with the run-pass option with wide receiver Antavious Willis behind center, but they were pretty one-dimensional with Willis’ inability to throw. Gore still was able to run well, breaking off frequently into the secondary. The Golden Eagles had a legit chance for the upset until late in this game when Willis fumbled the ball twice deep in his own territory. Southern Miss (1-9, C-USA 0-6) will try again to get their first win in the conference next Friday against Louisiana Tech.

It was an odd game for Frank Gore Jr (5'8/185). He averaged almost seven yards per carry but only ran the ball twelve times. On his runs, Gore Jr. was electric early and showed good vision. His first of the game was a 38-yard run that set the Eagles up in the red zone and was efficient thereafter. While Southern Miss does have a tendency to run the ball by committee, the early start for Gore Jr. seemed primed for that to change but to no avail. Southern Miss takes on UTSA next Saturday.