Joe Brady didn't sugarcoat the reality facing Ja'Mori Maclin.
"You're undrafted and you're battling injuries in OTAs, you better hope that you show something early to be able to continue to stick around," the Buffalo Bills head coach said.
A 71-yard touchdown should qualify as showing something.
Maclin turned a third-quarter catch from Shane Buechele into the biggest play of the Bills' 31-7 preseason victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday at Huntington Bank Field.
The undrafted rookie caught a pass on a corner route and raced toward the sideline as two Browns defensive backs collided behind him. There was nobody left to catch him. Maclin raced to the end zone for the touchdown.
"We checked it to our man-beater and in my mind, anytime it's
man, I've got to go win," Maclin said. "I'm glad the quarterback was able to give me the opportunity. So when I caught it, it happened so fast. I didn't even think I was going to score."
Brady wasn't quite sure what he was watching as the play unfolded.
"There was a lot going on in that play," Brady said. "It was like, is it a catch? Is it almost a fumble? Is it a drop? And then it's a touchdown, right? So we got the full experience right there."
Shane Buechele finds Ja'Mori Maclin and he takes it 71 YARDS
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Maclin finished with two catches for a game-high 108 yards. His other reception went for 37 yards.
It's been an optimal start for a player whose first NFL offseason didn't go according to plan.
Maclin battled injuries during organized team activities after signing with the Bills as an undrafted free agent. That's not an ideal time to be unavailable when you're trying to convince an NFL team to keep you around.
Maclin did enough before getting hurt to make an impression.
"He showed us a lot," Brady said. "And when he was able to, he took advantage of the time when he was off and stuck around in the offseason, making sure that when his time was going to come, he was going to be ready."
That time has arrived.
Maclin is trying to make a crowded Bills wide receiver room that includes Khalil Shakir, D.J. Moore, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman, Skyler Bell, Trent Sherfield and others.
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound receiver took a winding route to Buffalo.
Maclin played six college seasons at Missouri, North Texas and Kentucky. His breakout came at North Texas in 2023 when he caught 57 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging more than 17 yards per catch.
He transferred to Kentucky for his final two seasons and finished his college career with 100 receptions for 1,891 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Football runs in the family. Maclin is the cousin of former NFL receiver Jeremy Maclin, a first-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 who made the Pro Bowl in 2014.
Ja'Mori Maclin has another Bills receiver helping him navigate his attempt to make an NFL roster.
Tyrell Shavers went undrafted in 2023, spent his rookie season and most of 2024 on the Bills' practice squad and earned a spot on the 53-man roster in 2025.
His advice to Maclin has been simple.
"He just tells me to keep my head down, take it one day at a time, one play at a time," Maclin said. "I think that's the focus for me. I'm not getting too ahead of myself, just ready to get back to film, see what mistakes I made and try to learn from them and get better this next week coming up."
Brady pointed to Maclin's versatility and intelligence as other reasons the rookie has remained in the mix.
"He has a lot of fun playing football," Brady said. "He's very bright, can play a lot of positions."
The reaction from Maclin's teammates after his touchdown stood out to Brady.
"You see the sideline, right? How they feel after he scores a touchdown," Brady said. "Those are the things that I'm really proud of."
Maclin has one more preseason game to prove his worth for the roster or a practice squad spot.
"It definitely helps give me a little more confidence going into the next game and the next week," Maclin said. "Now I've just got to keep building that connection with the guys and building that trust with them."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills coach said rookie needed to show something, and a 71-yard TD should do it
