ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bills opened up the preseason with a 29-14 smattering of the Carolina Panthers. Though the game doesn’t actually count toward the win column, there is still plenty to like about Joe Brady’s Bills after one exhibition.
Who’s rising?
Josh Allen and D.J. Moore: Throughout this entire article, I’ll be yelling “TEMPER EXPECTATIONS, IT’S JUST THE PRESEASON!” With that out of the way, the Allen-to-Moore was promising. Like, really promising. The two starters only played the offense’s first two drives, but hooked up three times for 61 yards, the latter was a team high. The first completion between the duo catch came on a crosser where Moore was left wide open running left after an Allen play fake. Moore caught the ball about four yards past the line of scrimmage and seemingly challenged a Carolina defender to make a tackle, waving his hand at safety Nick Scott before being wrapped up at the 13-yard-line and capping off a 32-yard play. Moore later caught an 11-yard out and an 18-yard comeback route before leaving the game with a lower body injury. Joe Brady later said he was “good.” Now, again, I wanna reiterate that it’s just the preseason, but the fact that Allen was connecting with Moore, and doing so while throwing the ball downfield, can only be seen as a great thing for Joe Brady’s offense.
Deone Walker: The second-year defensive tackle played in all 19 games a year ago. He was asked a lot in his rookie year, playing in 47 percent of the defense’s snaps. This year, he may be asked even more. With vet d-tackles DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips not returning in the offseason, Walker’s role, or maybe his responsibility, will be growing alongside Ed Oliver. On Saturday, Walker was up to the task, sacking Panthers quarterback Bryce Young while adding a run stuff. The Bills defensive line will look quite different this season, Walker will remain a mainstay and on Saturday, he showed promise.
The O-Line: Starters? Backups? The backups to the backups? It didn’t matter much, the Bills seemed to control the line of scrimmage, at least in the run. Seven ball carriers combined for 151 yards on 26 carries. Admittedly, Josh Allen did face some heat in his two drives, and later, Kyle Allen was sacked twice, but the offensive line certainly got push on the ground.
Kani Walker: Kani Walker has been maybe the most promising story out of training camp. An undrafted cornerback out of Arkansas, the 23-year-old stayed late out on the St. John Fisher practice fields almost everyday. He was a grinder, but, he was also good. In team drills and during 11-on-11, the young defensive back outshone his pedigree, turning heads. On Saturday, he showed he was ready, intercepting Kyle Trask on a designed wide receiver screen, jumping the route. Admittedly, between Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, and Davison Igbinosun, there’s not much room on the depth chart at boundary cornerback, but Walker is making Brandon Beane’s decision tough.
Who’s falling?
I’m not sure there were any horrendous showings by the Bills, but there a couple names that would probably like Saturday back.
Kick returner and wide receiver Dante Pettis was added late in camp, and touched the ball just twice on Saturday, on the latter return, he fumbled. The Bills didn’t lose the fumble, but with limited opportunities to shine, one has to assume coughing the ball up isn’t gonna help the 30-year-old’s path to the 53-man roster.
It’s tough to really elevate Tyler Bass as a whole right now. I saw him kick once during camp, going five-for-seven. On Sunday, he went three-for-four, missing a 45-yarder wide right, while making both of his extra-point attempts. It was his first live game kicking at the new stadium so give him the benefit of the doubt, but there should be little loyalty at the kicker position, especially if Bass struggles over the next two weeks.
What to look for next?
Punter: Riveting, I know, but neither Tommy Doman, nor Mitch Wishnowsky got to punt in Saturday’s game. Usually, that is a great thing for an offensive head coach, but for Joe Brady, it isn’t. On Thursday, he joked that he might push the issue just to see the guys punt, but the opportunity never materialized. I imagine that both punters will have ample opportunities in the next two preseason games to determine who cracks the roster. The rookie, Doman, did get the nod when it came to holding kicks for Bass, which would make one think that he has the “edge” as it stands, but no job has been won yet.
Backup quarterback: Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele were both fine. I would think over the next two games, Josh Allen will get fewer snaps, and these two will get more. Right now, Allen has the edge over Buechele, but the job hasn’t been won one way or the other.
Practice squad running back: I won’t hide–I really like Ian Wheeler. I profiled him during camp and he described his playstyle as “fast, explosive, and I’ll run somebody over.” Yeah, that checks all the boxes, though he’ll have to show it to the coaches, not just tell me. It’ll be incredibly difficult for either Wheeler or Frank Gore Jr. to make the 53-man roster. If James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson are all healthy, there isn’t really a world where either can crack the opening day roster, but one of the two, Wheeler or Gore, should be stashed on the practice squad. On Saturday, they produced near identical statlines, seven carries for 41 yards and a touchdown for Wheeler, and seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown for Gore, so we’ll have to wait and see on these guys.
Cornerback opposite of Benford: Christian Benford is Buffalo’s best cornerback, now it’s just about finding who’ll play on the other boundary. The answer right now, today, is Maxwell Hairston, the 2025 first-round pick out of Kentucky. The problem is, Hairston only played in 11 games last year, and is once again hurt with a lower-body injury to start the preseason. On top of that, Davison Igbinosun was drafted in the second round this year. Igbinosun was good in Saturday’s contest, playing most of the game as Buffalo’s defense acted as a stalwart to Carolina’s offense. This will be something to monitor, especially if Hairston continues to miss time.
What’s next literally?
The Bills will have an open practice on Tuesday at Highmark Stadium before a walkthrough session on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Bills will travel to Cleveland and have a joint practice with the Browns, before the two play a preseason game on Saturday, August 22. Buffalo will wrap up the preseason on Thursday, August 28, against the Steelers at home.
Buffalo will kick off the official 2026-27 season away against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. To view the Bills’ full schedule, click here.
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