Bills open first season since 2016 without McDermott
Buffalo finished the preseason 3-0 under first-year coach Joe Brady, and Sean McDermott — replaced after leading the Bills since 2016 — says he still believes this team reaches the Super Bowl.
Sean McDermott is still rooting for a team he no longer coaches
This is the Bills' first season since 2016 without Sean McDermott in charge, and the coach he was replaced by hasn't stayed quiet about the team he left behind. McDermott said this week that he's still rooting for Buffalo to reach the Super Bowl in its first year under someone else — and that he believes it happens — according to Pro Football Talk. New head coach Joe Brady inherits a locker room that just closed out the preseason unbeaten regardless of who's cheering from outside the building.
Sean McDermott is rooting for the Bills to get to the Super Bowl in their first season without him as the coach since 2016 -- and McDermott believes they will. t.co/YgleLnxlB3
Brady spent this week's media session on the stuff that actually decides games — the tight end room's versatility, why Buffalo kept 5 receivers instead of 6, and how far cornerback Christian Benford has grown as a leader — according to buffalobills.com. He singled out Skyler Bell's camp, and the tape backs him up: Bell's line against the Steelers, 7 catches for 49 yards and a 28-yard rushing touchdown, was the best any receiver put on film all preseason. Brady also touched on how running back Frank Gore Jr. fits as a practice-squad piece and how outside linebacker T.J. Parker benefits from the veteran presence Shaq Thompson brings back to the room.
Quarterback Josh Allen made one appearance across the club's 3-game preseason schedule — a small line, but a real one for a quarterback whose coaching staff just turned over. Whatever grade McDermott is handing out from wherever he's watching now, the 53-man roster, the depth chart and a 3-0 exhibition record belong to Brady's first camp as a head coach.
New @YouTubeCreators live tonight 930 pm: Biggest questions facing #Texans heading into #Bills game t.co/vopM0SyvsO
Doman closes out the punter job, and the preseason ends unbeaten
Buffalo closed the exhibition slate unbeaten, holding off Pittsburgh 28-27 at Highmark Stadium on August 27 for a third straight one-score finish, after wins over Carolina (29-14, August 15) and Cleveland (31-7, August 22) — 3-0 in the preseason so far. Skyler Bell was the best player on the field in the finale: 7 catches for 49 yards and a 28-yard rushing touchdown. Ray Davis stayed busy on special teams, gaining 11 yards on 2 punt returns, though he also lost a fumble.
Steelers28-27
Browns31-7
Panthers29-14The game also settled the competition that ran the length of camp. Seventh-round rookie Tommy Doman closed out the punter job by booting 4 times for 208 yards — a 52.0-yard average — and holding on both made field goals against Pittsburgh, while nine-year veteran Mitch Wishnowsky managed just 2 punts for 68 yards, including a 19-yard shank. Buffalo released Wishnowsky the next day; he didn't stay unemployed long, signing with the Patriots' practice squad within days, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Bills also parted with return man Mecole Hardman that same week, cutting a vested veteran outright without running him through waivers — a signal Buffalo is comfortable looking elsewhere for a punt returner heading into the opener.
Shakir trends toward Week 1, and the practice squad keeps churning
The injury report is trending the right way. Khalil Shakir remains questionable, but "there's currently optimism" he'll be available for the opener against Houston, according to Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com — a real break for a receiver room already down two contributors. Keon Coleman (right foot/toe) was back on the field at Tuesday's practice despite his own questionable tag, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. Running back Ty Johnson (lower leg) is still out, Buscaglia reported, and defensive tackle Zane Durant (IR) and receiver Tyrell Shavers (PUP) both left the active roster over the weekend.
Underneath those moves, Buffalo keeps restocking. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported the Bills signed Greg Dortch, Anthony Kendall, Shaq Thompson and Jedrick Wills among a wave of practice-squad additions — a former first-round tackle in Wills and a familiar face in Thompson trying to work back onto the 53. The churn hasn't stopped: Wilson also reported this week that Brock Lampe visited the club and that Buffalo worked out Cole Brevard, Earnest Brown, Fatorma Mulbah, Haggai Ndubuisi, Jay Toia and Zion Wilson, depth moves that keep coming with the opener 8 days out.
General manager Brandon Beane said the Bills didn't submit any waiver claims on players, per Jay Skurski, and he's not rushing Thompson back either — Beane said the linebacker will be ramped up gradually in practice to determine how quickly he can be ready for game action, calling it "a bit of a process."
Buffalo opens the season as a road favorite against a team done talking
It's DeMeco Ryans' fourth season in Houston, after three straight trips to the AFC Divisional Round and three straight exits, and he's done making promises about it. "It's time for us to stop all the talking and go show people what we're all about," Ryans told his team this week ahead of hosting Buffalo, according to Yahoo Sports. The Texans also reshaped their receiver room by trading for Kayshon Boutte, and Ryans has already praised his hands and his ability to win at the catch point.
Houston's own preseason went 0-3, including a 13-16 loss at Carolina in its finale, and this is a Texans team hunting a signature win over a Bills club that finished its exhibition slate unbeaten. Buffalo opened as a 1.5-point favorite for Sunday afternoon in Houston, with the total set at 44.5 — a middling number for a game carrying this much motivation on both sidelines.