Bills Central

Bills OC Joe Brady says rookie RB has been 'a great addition' to backfield

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady had high praise for rookie running back Ray Davis after his NFL preseason debut.

Anthony Miller

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
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Even though the Buffalo Bills suffered an embarrassing 33-6 loss to the Chicago Bears in their preseason opener, there were still standouts from the game that the coaching staff is getting excited about.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady spoke to the media on Tuesday, taking some time to highlight the performance of rookie running back Ray Davis. The play-caller noted that Davis showed flashes of ability despite lackluster play from the offensive line and general offense.

“I was excited to see the opportunities he had in pass pro," Brady said. "The opportunities he had in the scramble drill and making a play. You saw the check down at the end of the two-minute drill of him making guys miss. All things that once the pads come on, like we talked about, without pads, those are all tag offs. You don’t get that opportunity.

"The game is not too big for him, wasn’t too big for him and those are the little things we talk about in the preseason game that naturally, everything will speed up and how do these guys handle it? I thought he handled it well.”

Davis finished with two rushing yards on five carries and caught three passes for 19 yards in the loss. The stat line does not do his performance justice, however; he played with energy and purpose, his most impressive play being a nice catch along the sideline where he fought through contact to come down with the grab. Brady felt as though Davis' presence was felt on the field.

“[Contact] is natural for him," Brady said. "You enjoy his style of play. He’s always working at it, wanting to get better. He’s been a great addition for us.”

Ray Davis
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills selected Davis in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft. He played for three different colleges including Temple, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky, earning a spot on the All-SEC team in 2023. He recorded 3,626 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns throughout his collegiate career, picking up another 840 yards and 12 scores through the air.

Davis struggled with ball control at the beginning of training camp but appears to be developing into a solid number two or three running back behind James Cook. He's competing with veteran Ty Johnson for the primary backup role; Johnson returned to practice this week after being sidelined with an injury.

Buffalo drafted Davis for his north-south running ability, and it looks as though he's already making his mark on the coaching staff.

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Anthony Miller

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