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The Buffalo Bills will have a new player on their team for the 2026 NFL Playoffs. After ruling starting receiver Joshua Palmer out for the remainder of the season, the team elevated fan-favorite running back Frank Gore Jr. to its active roster.
Although Gore has never played an official NFL snap, he has a chance to remain on the Bills’ roster for the duration of the playoffs. The Bills also activated defensive end Andre Jones Jr. and signed linebacker Baylon Spector from their practice squad, they announced on Saturday.
Gore has been with the team since 2024, when he signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent after the NFL Draft. In addition to being the namesake of his father, 16-year NFL veteran Frank Gore, the 23-year-old is the third all-time leading rusher in Southern Mississippi football history.
Frank Gore Jr. initially turned heads for his absurd performance in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl, in which he logged 21 carries for 329 rushing yards and two touchdowns to carry Southern Miss to a 38-24 win over Rice. After another 1,000-yard season in 2024, he went on to become the East-West Shrine Bowl game MVP.
Frank Gore Jr WENT OFF
FBS Bowl Game Rushing Record pic.twitter.com/PCyNXjUAhw
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 18, 2022
The younger Gore went on to impress NFL fans in his first preseason with the Bills. He led all rookies with 163 rushing yards in the 2024 preseason.
Gore joins James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in the Bills’ running back room for their Wild Card matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is not yet signed to a standard contract and would need to be elevated again to stick with the team in the Divisional Round, should they advance with a win.
While Bills fans might be interested to see Gore in live action, the news of his elevation hardly softens the blow of losing Palmer, who started eight games for the team in the regular season. Palmer ended the year with 303 receiving yards, fifth on the team.
Without Palmer, the Bills are expected to activate second-year wideout Keon Coleman, who has been in the doghouse for most of the year. Coleman has only appeared in 13 games this season, but he is third on the team with 38 catches and fourth with 404 receiving yards. Coleman’s four touchdowns are also ties for second on the team.
The loss of Palmer puts the Bills further at odds against an elite Jaguars defense that only allowed 303.6 yards per game in the regular season, 11th in the NFL.
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