Buffalo Rumblings
After a year in the system, can the second-year back break through in 2025?
The Buffalo Bills placed greater emphasis on the running game in 2024, and in doing so they increased the overall efficiency of what was already an excellent offensive attack. It helps when the quarterback is a threat to run at all times, but when the team has three running backs who are capable of making house calls from anywhere on the field, it’s another boost entirely.
With all three of the team’s top running backs from last season returning, it’s difficult to envision a situation where someone “new” breaks into the rotation. In Buffalo’s case, any “new” faces won’t actually be new, because the other running backs on the 90-man roster were also with the Bills at some point last season. With so much success on the ground, the team would likely benefit from not fixing what isn’t broken.
In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a running back with a famous name.
Name: Frank Gore Jr.
Number: 20
Position: RB
Height/Weight: 5’8”, 195 pounds
Age: 23 (24 on 3/13/2026)
Experience/Draft: 1; signed with Buffalo following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Southern Mississippi
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Gore signed a reserve/future contract with Buffalo on January 27 following the end of the Bills’ season. That two-year deal is worth $1.853 million overall. If he makes the 53-man roster, he’ll carry a cap hit of $844,000 for the season. If he’s released, Buffalo will be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $8,000.
2024 Recap: Gore Jr. had a standout preseason, carrying 33 times for 163 yards and a score in the Bills’ three exhibition contests. He also had four receptions for 16 yards on six targets.
While he showed out in the exhibition games, he was still buried on the team’s depth chart, and he ended up being released as part of the final roster cuts in August. The Bills signed him to their practice squad soon thereafter.
He did not appear in a regular season game, though he was elevated for one contest — Buffalo’s Week 6 victory over the New York Jets. He was active in that game, but he didn’t play on either offense or special teams.
Positional outlook: Gore Jr. is part of a running back group that includes James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans, and fullback Reggie Gilliam.
2025 Offseason: Gore Jr. has participated in all offseason activities to date.
2025 Season outlook: While there’s definitely some uncertainty surrounding Cook due to his contract situation, the Bills’ top rusher has been at all mandatory offseason work, so there isn’t any reason to assume that he’ll be anything other than the team’s top back once again. With Davis and Johnson back after successful runs in 2024, it’s hard to see a scenario where Gore Jr. breaks camp with the team. Unless one of those top three players is injured, he’s likely...
