SEVEN TAKEAWAYS: Shavers continues to impress during Bills' preseason win over Buccaneers
Bishop bounces back, Bass returns, Buechele shines as Buffalo finishes preseason with a victory
Tyrell Shavers has made his case.
The Bills wide receiver continued what has been a phenomenal preseason with another impressive performance during his team’s final preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Shavers made the play of the night during a 23-19 Bills win, securing a miraculous 11-yard touchdown reception to help Buffalo gain a 14-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. With a Buccaneers defender draped all over him, Shavers fought through contact to record a remarkable one-handed scoring grab, which set social media ablaze.
The former undrafted free agent has been on the team’s roster bubble each of the past three seasons, falling to the practice squad at the conclusion of the 2023 and 2024 preseason. But having completed what has been a phenomenal training camp and preseason, it appears as if he has done enough to lock in his spot on the Bills’ initial 53-man roster.
Along with his pass-catching prowess, Shavers has also added special teams ability to his repertoire, which should improve his chances of making the team to conclude the preseason.
The third-year pro has battled with the likes of Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore and even KJ Hamler for snaps and opportunity over the past several months. But Shavers has consistently been the most impressive of the group over the past several weeks, and it appears as if this is the year for him to make the initial ‘53.’
Now, the attention will turn to Samuel, Moore and Hamler and whether the Bills will decide to keep five, six or seven wide receivers upon cutdown day on Tuesday.
Beyond the wide receiver position, there were plenty of other noteworthy items to report from the win over the Buccaneers. Here are my Seven Takeaways from Saturday’s preseason finale:
Update on Tre’Davious White
General Manager Brandon Beane spoke on WIVB’s Bills Kickoff Live leading into the game against Tampa Bay and provided somewhat of an update on injured cornerback Tre’Davious White, who was banged up during this past Thursday’s practice. Beane revealed that White is dealing with a lower-leg injury, but did not go into detail as far as his timeline for return.
The update provided by the Bills GM was not a positive one, as anything other than a vote of confidence in White’s condition would have been of significant concern. With Beane not providing a timetable for his recovery, we are left guessing as to whether or not it will be a long-term injury. White has dealt with two significant injuries in recent seasons, including an ACL injury, which ended his 2021 season, and an Achilles tendon injury that ended his 2023 campaign. Another considerable injury could not only impact the Bills’ short-term outlook at the position but also White’s career.
As far as the Bills’ cornerback position is concerned, if White is to be out for an extended time, they would be forced to turn to what would be their third option behind Christian Benford. Rookie CB Max Hairston remains out with a knee injury and, per Beane on Bills Kickoff Live, the Bills are uncertain whether he will start the regular season on the 53-man roster or on short-term injured reserve.
That leaves rookie sixth-round pick Dorian Strong, along with veterans Dane Jackson and Ja’Marcus Ingram, as the next three in line to replace White. Strong and Jackson earned the start against Tampa Bay, while Ingram also filtered into the cornerback rotation.
It remains unclear which player would be first in line for a starting role if White is to miss extended time. But with their experience playing within the Bills’ defensive scheme, it would appear as if Jackson or Ingram would have the first crack at a starting role if White is to be out come Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Bishop bounces back
Second-year safety Cole Bishop entered the Bills’ final preseason game under the microscope, as a lack of availability coupled with a lack of production has caused his role on the Bills’ defense to be called into question. At the start of the offseason, it appeared as if Bishop was a shoo-in to earn a starting role in the back-end opposite incumbent starter Taylor Rapp. But after sustaining a quad injury that kept him out for a good portion of training camp, Bishop’s position as an expected starter was called into question.
Following a poor, albeit brief, outing last week against the Chicago Bears, the former second-round pick once again drew the start in the preseason finale, this time displaying some encouraging signs.
Bishop was on the field for the first two defensive drives of the game against Tampa Bay and performed with confidence and aggression while making a few nice plays throughout the evening. Bishop’s shining moment came on his final snap on the field, a third-down play in which he burst forward to help create an incomplete pass that forced a Tampa Bay punt.
Coming off a solid performance in Saturday’s game, it appears once again as if this will be Bishop’s job to begin the regular season, with Damar Hamlin serving as the team’s primary backup. What a roller coaster ride this position group has taken us on over the past several months
Walker continues to flash
Another young player trying to carve out a role for himself on the Bills’ defense is defensive tackle Deone Walker, who once again flashed with a solid performance against Tampa Bay. Walker finished the game with four tackles, one of which came for a loss, and a shared sack that he split with A.J. Epenesa.
Week after week, Walker is making plays that stand out on film. His preseason performance bodes exceptionally well for the Bills, who will need the rookie to factor into the team’s defensive line rotation immediately to begin the regular season.
Buechele’s big day
Shane Buechele put on a show in this one, finishing 25 of 30 passing for 278 yards and a touchdown pass to Shavers. He was on point throughout the night, remaining efficient and guiding the Bills to a much-improved effort from their preseason loss to the Bears last week.
It’s unlikely Buechele had any path to the 53-man roster entering this one, but his showing against Tampa Bay will boost the team’s confidence in its practice squad quarterback. It was a nice moment for the 27-year-old, who missed all of last season due to a neck injury he sustained during the team’s 2024 preseason opener.
With Buechele playing the entirety of Saturday’s game, it appears as if the battle for the team’s role at backup quarterback has been decided. My guess is Mitch Trubisky will likely get the nod once again this season, with Mike White coming up just short in this fight for a depth role.
Bass appears healthy
Despite a missed field goal from 26 yards in the fourth quarter, Bills kicker Tyler Bass appeared healthy and performed well enough in his return to the playing field on Saturday. Bass made kicks from 37 yards (twice) and 39 yards to finish the day 3 for 4 on his field goal attempts while finishing a perfect 2 for 2 on extra points.
Bass missed quite a bit of time throughout training camp due to pelvic-area soreness, which appears to have subsided leading into the regular season. Buffalo waived Caden Davis earlier this week after he kicked for the team during its first two exhibition matchups.
Davidson does more
With punter Brad Robbins dealing with an illness, depth tight end Zach Davidson was called on for punting duties against the Buccaneers. And things went surprisingly well.
Davidson, who was a punter in college at Central Missouri, saw his first attempt travel 62 yards and his second punt travel 42 yards. The fifth-year pro’s performance on special teams elicited quite the boisterous response from the Bills’ sideline, which was much more lively on Saturday than we saw last week in Chicago.
Despite being held out of punting duties, Robbins did get some much-needed reps with Bass as his holder on field goals and extra points.
Next up, cuts
The Bills will now look ahead to cutdown day on Tuesday, with many difficult decisions needing to be made up and down the roster.
One of the more interesting positions to monitor is that of the team’s kick/punt returner, where Laviska Shenault and Brandon Codrington have seemingly been battling it out throughout training camp and the preseason. On Saturday against the Buccaneers, Codrington got the first opportunity at both kick and punt returns, while Shenault also mixed in. It appears as if this time, Codrington has secured his spot as the team’s return specialist.
Elsewhere, versatile rookie offensive lineman Chase Lundt shifted to left tackle against the Buccaneers and once again fared well, making his case for a roster spot come Tuesday afternoon. Lundt has played both left and right tackle, along with some guard, this preseason.
On the other side of the coin, second-year linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio’s spot on the roster may be far more questionable. Free-agent acquisition Jimmy Ciarlo entered the LB rotation on Saturday before Ulofoshio and Ciarlo continued to make plays around the ball. It’s been an impressive preseason for the former Army captain. The same can’t be said for Ulofoshio, who has yet to justify Buffalo’s use of a fifth-round selection on him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
During his postgame address, Head Coach Sean McDermott did not provide any insight into the team’s various upcoming roster decisions.