The Buffalo Bills have built a roster with real championship ambition, and that makes the preseason feel a lot less like a warm-up and a lot more like a sorting test.
At the top of the depth chart, Buffalo looks loaded. Brandon Beane’s biggest splash was the blockbuster addition of wide receiver DJ Moore, giving Josh Allen a dynamic new target. On defense, the Bills changed their look by bringing in Jim Leonhard to run an aggressive base 3-4 scheme, while also adding veterans Bradley Chubb, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone, and Dee Alford.
That kind of talent brings pressure everywhere, but especially at the bottom of the roster. With Joe Brady setting a demanding tone in practice - physical early-morning sessions and competitive 11-on-11 work - the Bills are already pushing players to prove they belong.
Allen and Moore have shown encouraging chemistry, and Leonhard’s defense is still coming together. Meanwhile, a few players are fighting for their NFL lives.
Mecole Hardman Jr. is one of them. He came to Buffalo with the kind of profile that usually plays in this league: speed, big-play juice, return ability, and enough offensive versatility to matter in more than one phase. But the receiver room has changed around him.
Moore is now the headliner. Khalil Shakir still has an important role.
Joshua Palmer brings another reliable veteran presence. Keon Coleman remains part of the mix.
And behind that group, Dante Pettis and several younger receivers are battling for depth jobs and return work.
That leaves Hardman in a tough spot. Brady’s offense isn’t built on speed alone.
It asks for clean routes, dependable hands, and the kind of timing and precision that keep drives moving. Hardman can still help himself, but the path is narrow.
Special teams may be where he makes his case. If he can field punts cleanly and show he can be trusted as a receiver, he gives Buffalo a reason to keep him around. If not, the Bills could move on quickly.
Frank Gore is in a similar fight, just in a crowded backfield instead of a loaded receiver room. James Cook III is the lead back.
Ray Davis and Ty Johnson each bring their own value. Add in fullbacks Ben VanSumeren and Jackson Acker, and there just isn’t much room left.
For Gore, preseason carries won’t be enough on their own. He has to show he can do the dirty work too.
Pass protection matters, especially with Josh Allen behind center, and every running back on the roster has to be able to help on special teams. If Gore can prove he’s useful in multiple roles, he gives Buffalo something harder to cut than a one-dimensional runner.
Then there’s Javon Solomon, whose burst off the edge has already made him an interesting developmental piece. The explosion is there. The question is whether he can handle everything else Leonhard’s defense asks of an outside linebacker in a 3-4 setup.
That means more than rushing the passer. Solomon has to show he can hold up against the run and be comfortable dropping into coverage when the scheme calls for it. He’s competing with Bradley Chubb, Greg Rousseau, and veteran Mike Danna for snaps, so there’s no room to survive as just a pass-rush specialist.
If Solomon shows growth in all of those areas, he can carve out a role. If he doesn’t, the numbers game could catch him fast.
That’s the reality for all three players. The Bills have enough talent to contend, but that also means some capable contributors are going to get squeezed out.
Hardman has to prove he’s more than a speed threat. Gore has to show he can contribute beyond the ball carrier role.
Solomon has to convince Leonhard he can function in a more demanding system.
In Buffalo, the preseason is where those arguments get made.
In Other News...
Bills Secondary Suddenly Has A C.J. Gardner-Johnson Concern
The Bills secondary had already been a point of interest this offseason with C.J. Gardner-Johnson joining the team on a one-year deal, bringing the kind of versatility and edge Buffalo hoped would sharpen the back end of its defense. But his recent exit from a game quickly shifted the conversation from fit and role to simple availability, as trainers and teammates surrounded him after he went down.
Gardner-Johnson was unable to continue and was carted off after an apparent issue with his right foot, leaving Buffalo with an uneasy wait on a player it had just added to help stabilize the secondary. For a defense that is still sorting out new pieces, the sight of a veteran defensive back going down like that is the sort of development the Bills can ill afford this early. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Face A C.J. Gardner-Johnson Camp Concern
The Bills got a scare at training camp when safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson went down during a practice drill and had to be helped off the field. It was the kind of moment that can stop a camp session in its tracks, especially when a veteran defensive back is involved, and Buffalo immediately shifted into the cautious mode teams usually reserve for injuries that could alter the shape of a roster conversation.
For now, the early signs are at least somewhat encouraging, with teammates and staff indicating Gardner-Johnson was able to walk afterward and is going through the usual medical steps. Still, the club is waiting for more clarity before saying much more, and the next update will matter for a defense that has been counting on him to settle in quickly during camp. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Secondary Just Got A Scare It Could Not Afford
Training camp already has a way of sorting out the hopeful from the fragile, and Buffalo got a reminder of that when safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson went down during 11-on-11 drills. He suffered a lower-body injury, was helped off the field, and the Bills quickly shifted from practice mode to waiting mode as he was taken in for further evaluation.
The immediate concern was hard to miss: Gardner-Johnson was favoring his right foot and not putting much weight on it before heading to the locker room. Buffalo is now waiting on medical testing to learn how serious the injury is, a situation the secondary can hardly welcome with the season work already underway. [Read more 🡒]