Sean McDermott praises ‘growth’ of intriguing UDFA RB, other young Bills players

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke about rookie running back Frank Gore Jr. and the team's youth after their preseason win.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL preseason is an annual opportunity for young players to make a name for themselves not only on the field, but off of it, as well. Impressing their coaching staff on the practice field and in the classroom is almost as important for a player new to the league as making plays on gamedays, as it shows that an organization can trust their consistency and rely on them when called upon.

Undrafted free agent running back Frank Gore Jr. has been impressive in all of these aspects throughout his short professional career, this culminating in a solid outing in the Buffalo Bills’ preseason Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in which the rookie racked up 41 yards on eight carries. Aptly the son of legendary NFL running back Frank Gore, Gore. Jr. ran with purpose and showed impressive burst, looking like a compact, powerful runner not dissimilar to his father.

Related: Bills HC ‘very impressed’ by powerful rookie RB: ‘You could feel him’

This was Gore Jr.’s second consecutive encouraging outing, as he totaled 21 yards on seven carries in Buffalo’s preseason opener behind poor offensive line play. He’s looked quite solid for an undrafted free agent throughout the preseason and training camp, something that’s not necessarily surprising given both his lineage and the fact that he rushed for an impressive 4,022 yards and 26 touchdowns throughout his four-year collegiate career.

McDermott was asked about Gore Jr.’s recent flashes following the Bills’ 9-3 win; the sideline boss praised the rookie’s work ethic and ability to answer when his name was called, echoing the same sentiment about all of the team’s young players. 

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

“You know what? It’s fun to watch players, young players like Frank and all of those guys, they get a shot,” McDermott said. “Especially not, in the first game, they’re a little nervous, and I kind of witnessed that last week. Now, in game two, they took advantage of their opportunity in game two. And that’s growth, right? That’s them learning and remaining confident and putting in a good week of practice leading up to tonight.”

Listed as the fifth running back on Buffalo’s initial depth chart, it’s difficult to imagine Gore Jr. cracking the team’s initial 53-man roster; James Cook is a reigning Pro Bowler, rookie Ray Davis has looked strong throughout the preseason, Ty Johnson is a realistic roster candidate given his special teams ability, and fullback Reggie Gilliam can take the odd handoff every now and again. It’s difficult to imagine the team keeping four traditional running backs on their initial roster, and even if they do, they may give the edge to the speedy Darrynton Evans over Gore Jr.; that said, the undrafted free agent has done everything asked of him thus far and figures to be a practice squad lock, should he clear waivers. If the team were ever forced to promote him to the active roster at some point in the regular season, they’d likely have the confidence to do so given the traits the rookie has displayed this summer.

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