This is a recap of how the rookies for the Buffalo Bills performed in Week 7 against the New York Jets.
This past week against the New York Jets was arguably the most productive for the Buffalo Bills rookie class. This week the Bills had six rookies play snaps, four draft picks and one undrafted rookie.
This is a recap of how the rookies performed in Week 7 for the Buffalo Bills.
A.J. Epenesa
One rookie that is really having a disappointing first season in the NFL is defensive end A.J. Epenesa. The Buffalo Bills didn’t have a first round pick and when they selected Epenesa in the second round, it felt like a steal.
While it is way to early to consider him a bust there is no question that he is not having the impact many expected this season. For the second time in three weeks, Epenesa played less than 10 snaps on defense. Surprisingly though he did a lot in those nine snaps as he had three total tackles and 0.5 sack.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and the rookie has turned a corner. If he can play up to the expectations, he will be a big boost for this defense.
Reggie Gilliam
After the Buffalo Bills had a number of tight ends placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list the day prior to Week 7, it opened an opportunity for Reggie Gilliam to see a bit of an increase in playing time. He would end up playing a career high 13 offensive snaps, as well as seven additional snaps on special teams.
He also got his first reception since Week 2 when he caught a touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins. He is a player that moved from fullback to tight end during training camp and is still trying to learn the position. However, when he has been given a chance on offense he makes plays and the coaching staff should continue to try to find ways to include him in this offense.
Gabriel Davis
The Buffalo Bills were without starting wide receiver John Brown for this game and this gave wide receiver Gabriel Davis his third start of his rookie season. He once again was on the field for almost every offensive snap, he played 95% against the Jets, however he had only one reception for 11 yards.
However, he once again had a touchdown called back due to a penalty. Similarly to the game against the Tennessee Titans, Davis caught a touchdown but it won’t show up in the stats due to a penalty, this time it was an illegal formation penalty.
Zack Moss
Similar to A.J. Epenesa, Zack Moss entered this season with high expectations. He was expected to be that boost for what was a productive run game a season ago.
However, the Buffalo Bills as an offense has really struggled to get the run game going and it hasn’t helped that Moss has missed a few weeks due to a toe injury. The Bills seemed to ease him back last week against the Chiefs, playing only 25% of the snaps, but he got his full workload this past week against the New York Jets.
This was by far Moss’ best game in the NFL as he was very effective on the ground with 47 rushing yards on seven carries for an average yards per carry of 6.7. He also had three receptions for 25 yards in this game.
The coaching staff seems pretty well set on doing an even rotation between Moss and Devin Singletary but if the rookie continues to produce this much, they may want to give him the ball more.
Dane Jackson
The Buffalo Bills had more than their fair share of injuries at cornerback with Josh Norman ruled out with a hamstring injury and Levi Wallace already on injured reserve. On top of that, the Bills had listed Tre’Davious White and Cam Lewis as questionable.
So it certainly made sense for the Bills to call up seventh-round pick Dane Jackson from their practice squad in what was his first career NFL game. However, it remained to be seen just how much he would play in this game.
Well, that was answered pretty early as he would start the game for the Bills and would go on to play every defensive snap. He certainly made the most of this opportunity as he had a key pass break up on third down early in the game that forced the Jets to settle for a field goal.
Then later he made another key play by dropping back into coverage and picking off Sam Darnold. Based on league rules, the team did have to send Jackson back to the practice squad but with the way he played, he should be back sooner rather than later.
Tyler Bass
The rookie that had the biggest impact on this game was certainly place kicker Tyler Bass. The rookie accounted for all of the Bills points in this one as he connected on six of eight field goal attempts.
The start of the game did not go as planned as Bass missed his field goal attempt and it wasn’t even close. However, the good news was that he was as able to settle down and would go on to make six of his next seven attempts. One of those made field goals would end up being his current career-long at 53 yards.
There is always a risk going with a rookie at a key position like the placekicker. Earlier in the year, there were starting to be some concerns, especially after Bass missed two of his first field goal attempts.
The hope is now after a game like this, it should be able to build his confidence and the rookie can become more automatic as the season goes on.