Joe Brady asked for energy from his rookies, and the Buffalo Bills got it in bunches during a 29-14 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers at new Highmark Stadium.
There was a sack. There was an interception.
There was a fourth-down breakup. And there was no shortage of rookie reps, either, as Buffalo’s first class under Brady got an extended run in the opener.
Brady has been impressed with the group since the first days of camp, and he pointed back to that early tone after the game.
“Going back to our first day in pads, everybody that started a fight was a rookie,” Brady said after the game. “There's a mentality and the passion for football we're looking for.”
That edge showed up again against Carolina, including a sideline celebration after undrafted cornerback Kani Walker’s interception late in the game.
“Nothing drives me more crazy than when people are like, ‘It's the preseason,’” Brady said. “No, we're going to compete in everything we do. The standard is the standard.
“I don't care if it's the fourth quarter (of the preseason) and we get a stop, celebrate on the sideline That's important to me.”
T.J. Parker wasted little time making his presence felt. The second-round outside linebacker logged his first NFL sack by dropping Kenny Pickett in the third quarter, and he was one of four Bills to finish with a sack as Buffalo’s defense limited Carolina to 201 total yards.
Davison Igbinosun, Buffalo’s other second-round pick, got a long look in his preseason debut. The cornerback finished with one tackle and played 37 defensive snaps, the second-most among Bills rookies on defense behind Jalon Kilgore.
Kilgore, a fifth-round safety, was on the field for 41 defensive snaps, the most of any Buffalo rookie, and he delivered one of the key second-half plays. On fourth-and-2, he blitzed and got up to knock down Kenny Pickett’s pass, ending a 15-play Carolina drive with a turnover on downs.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr also had a busy night at linebacker, collecting three tackles but getting flagged for pass interference on third-and-19 during Carolina’s 15-play opening possession of the second half. The Panthers held the ball for 8 minutes, 23 seconds on that drive and still came away empty.
Toriano Pride led Buffalo rookies with six tackles, though the seventh-round cornerback also drew a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Carolina’s touchdown drive late in the second quarter.
Zane Durant played 20 snaps along the defensive front that helped produce the four-sack night. Jude Bowry, the fourth-round tackle/guard, saw more offensive snaps than any other drafted rookie and was flagged for holding in the third quarter, erasing a 17-yard run by Frank Gore Jr.
Ar’maj Reed-Adams tied for the most offensive snaps on the team, taking part in 52 of Buffalo’s 67 offensive plays, and he was also called for holding once.
Skyler Bell was the only Bills draft pick who did not play. He missed practice time during the week with a lower-body injury and did not dress against Carolina. Brady said Bell would have been available if this were a regular-season game, but Buffalo chose to give him more time.
The undrafted group made its own noise, too. Kani Walker, who did not practice during the week because of an injury, was worked out Friday and warmed up again at halftime Saturday before the Bills decided he could go. He needed just 12 defensive snaps to produce one of the biggest rookie plays of the night, jumping a screen pass from Kyle Trask intended for Mike Davis and picking it off in the fourth quarter.
“That’s high level play from a guy that's a rookie,” Brady said.
Buffalo turned that takeaway into a touchdown three plays later.
Jordan Dunbar finished with four tackles in limited work, while Theron Gaines added three tackles. Cade Denhoff had one tackle.
Mike Tomczak, Bruno Fina, Da’Metrius Weatherspoon and Jackson Acker were also part of the rookie group listed by the Bills, along with Walker, Dunbar, Gaines and Denhoff. Tommy Doman handled holding duties but did not get a chance to punt in his preseason debut.
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