Bills add some much-needed support with latest roster move that could spell bad news for Week 1 vs. Ravens
A smart move by the front office.
The Buffalo Bills, despite just trimming their roster from 90 to 53 players, aren’t done making moves quite yet. With injuries piling up and some spots that need to be filled, the team signed defensive back and special-teams standout Sam Franklin Jr. to their 53-man roster and added a veteran kicker in Matt Prater to the practice squad. With Tyler Bass unable to practice because of a pelvic injury, some emergency help may be necessary. As of Thursday, Bass’ status for Week 1 against the Ravens was unknown as he’s been dealing with the issue nearly all preseason. The front office is doing its due diligence, making sure the team is ready to compete, and while Ray Davis as a backup kicker sounds fun in a pinch, they need a kicker on their roster when the game kicks off.
Bills bring in some reinforcements ahead of Week 1 vs. Ravens
Not speculating on injury, but as we reported, Bass is not practicing, and his status is unclear. It’s not every day that you can add a veteran with almost 20 years of experience to your roster, but that’s exactly what the team did in bringing in Prater. Throughout his 18-year career, he’s played for the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. Appearing in 254 games, he’s made 407 of 487 (83.6%) field goals, while going 587 of 603 (97.3%) on extra-point attempts. In 2024, with the Cardinals, Prater appeared in four games, making all six field goals with a long of 57 yards while going 10 of 10 on extra-point attempts.
As for Franklin Jr., he was a roster-cutdown casualty for the Broncos. He went undrafted in 2020 and signed with the Carolina Panthers. He became a free agent in the 2025 offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Broncos. Throughout his career, he’s played in 1,327 special-teams snaps and 782 snaps on defense. Head coach Sean McDermott loves versatile players who can contribute on special teams, and Franklin Jr. does just that.
Gabe Davis is back with Buffalo, officially
And of course, there’s Gabe Davis. There was some roster maneuvering with Jordan Poyer coming off the practice squad and then re-signing, which allowed Davis to join and be designated practice squad/injured. That designation does not take up a spot, so the team could then bring back Poyer.
Nevertheless, Davis returns home to Buffalo and is officially on the team’s practice squad. He’s recovering from a season-ending knee injury during his lone season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. Once he’s healthy, it’ll be interesting to see when — or if — the team calls him up at any point during the season. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move for Buffalo as Davis and Josh Allen have built chemistry over the years during his first stint with the Bills.
A lot of adjustments and tweaks to the roster with the season opener set for Sept. 7 in Orchard Park, New York. With the last injury report being released on Friday, we won’t have to wait long to see if Prater gets the call-up to fill in for Bass.
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