The Bills left Cleveland with a 31-7 preseason win over the Browns on Saturday, and the second exhibition game gave a clearer look at where a few roster battles stand. Some spots are settling. Others still look wide open.
On offense, Trent Sherfield stood out immediately. He looks bigger than he did in his first run with Buffalo, and that added bulk seems tied to his shift toward special teams. Even so, there’s still a path for him to matter on offense in that Mack Hollins/Tyrell Shavers lane - doing the unglamorous work and coming through on key catches when called on.
Ray Davis also kept making a case for himself. He doesn’t jump out as elite in any one area, outside of kick returning, but he does just about everything well. That was the impression here too, with the kind of steady, complete game that makes him feel like a dependable piece.
Ja’Mori Maclin took advantage of his chances as well. He’s dangerous down the field, and he showed that on a deep catch from Kyle Allen.
He also added some burst after the catch on a touchdown from Shane Buechele. With Buffalo’s receiver room crowded, the question now is whether that performance is enough to put him in the practice squad conversation.
The quarterback battle behind Josh Allen also came into focus. Kyle Allen looked like he did enough to lock down QB2, operating cleanly from the pocket and bringing more arm strength, size, and experience than Buechele.
Buechele, though, offered a different kind of value. He moves better than Kyle Allen and can create a little when plays break down, which is part of the backup evaluation too.
Even with that, the lean here is still toward Kyle Allen.
Up front, rookie OT Jude Bowry is still having a rough time of it. The Bills used an early fourth-round pick on him with some hope he could kick inside and compete for the left guard job, but that never materialized.
As a pure tackle right now, Grable is clearly ahead of him, and the hope is Grable can stay healthy. At left guard, Alec Anderson hasn’t really given Corbert a way in, and the expectation is that Anderson wins the job.
Corbert still matters as a veteran fallback.
The backfield had a few more interesting notes. Ian Wheeler came off as a lively runner, more athletic than Gore and the kind of player who could do damage behind Buffalo’s starting offensive line. The top three appears set, but Wheeler is intriguing, especially with Ty Johnson not matching his 2024 level in 2025, even though Johnson still has a clear third-down role.
Frank Gore Jr. also showed enough to keep his name in the mix. He doesn’t have top-end athleticism, but his vision and balance are real strengths, and he made a couple of defenders miss in the fourth quarter.
On defense, Kani Walker drew a strong comparison, looking a lot like rookie Christian Benford with his size, poise, tackling, and comfort in the right spots against both the run and the pass.
TJ Sanders, though, remains a frustrating watch. He’s in position to start, but he hasn’t done much to prove he deserves it.
For a former second-round pick Buffalo traded up for, the rookie year didn’t deliver, and year 2 hasn’t started much better. There were a couple flashes, but not nearly enough to feel good about his standing.
Landon Jackson is another player who has raised eyebrows, though this one comes with more optimism than before. The pick was not well received, but the scheme change and new role have opened the door a bit. He could push Sanders for snaps.
Davison Igbinosun also looks like someone who could move into the starting lineup soon and maybe hold that job. He’s big, physical, tackles well, and seems to fit Leonhard’s scheme. Max Hairston still has star potential, but his injury issues are a concern.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr has the body type to play middle linebacker - big, fast, physical - but the positioning issues keep showing up, especially in coverage. On Cleveland’s first touchdown, he and Damar Hamlin ended up covering the same short area, which left a wide-open receiver free at the back of the end zone. The play may need a second look, but the miss stood out.
TJ Parker flashed enough to make you think about what he might become if he can pick up some tricks from Bradley Chubb. He’s active, fast, powerful, and just needs more pass-rush moves in the toolbox.
Jordan Hancock looked better at nickel corner than he did as a single high safety, and that felt pretty clear from this game. Damar Hamlin, meanwhile, was described as too slow to start, but he still brings the kind of pro habits coaches trust: he knows where to line up, he’ll tackle, and he keeps getting rewarded for those traits. Geno Stone was in the same speed conversation, though for different reasons - he’s not a great tackler, but he has long been a ball hawk, and that hasn’t shown up yet with the Bills.
Javon Solomon also looked better in a five-man front, while Mike Danna provided a steady floor for the outside linebacker group. Buffalo Joe, meanwhile, outplayed Keonta Jenkins and was at least as effective as Dorian Williams or Kaleb Elarms-Orr.
Special teams brought its own set of questions and possibilities. Tommy Domann impressed, and the sense here is that Buffalo may have found a long-term answer at punter. Tyler Bass, on the other hand, is a concern right now, with a clear preference expressed for Matt Prater this season again.
Ray Davis as a punt returner is an interesting wrinkle too. There’s curiosity about whether he can win that job and handle the return game overall, though there’s also the belief that punt returns and kick returns have become different enough that a more shifty option might be better for punts. If Davis can be trusted to catch them cleanly, though, he should be fine.
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