The Buffalo Bills led the NFL in rushing yards last season. That was due in large part to the success of top running back James Cook, who led the NFL in rushing yards himself. It doesn’t hurt that quarterback Josh Allen is among the best running quarterbacks in the league, either.
With Buffalo returning their top three running backs from last season, it would appear on the surface that there isn’t much room for new names to crack the rotation heading into the 2026 NFL season. No one would blame the Bills
for breaking camp with the same three running backs that they rostered last season. However, there is a fourth name that should sound familiar for multiple reasons.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss the son of a future Hall of Fame running back, a player who is looking to make the team on his own for the first time in his third professional season.
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Name: Frank Gore Jr.
Number: 20
Position: RB
Height/Weight: 5’8” 201 lbs.
Age: 24 (25 on 3/13/2027)
Experience/Draft: 1; signed with Bills following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Southern Mississippi
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Gore signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL season. That two-year contract is worth $1.935 million in total. For the 2026 season, Gore Jr. carries a cap hit of $885,000 if he makes the active roster. There is no guaranteed money on the deal, so Buffalo will carry no dead cap charge if he is released.
2025 Recap: Gore Jr. once again carried the load during the preseason, leading the Bills in rushing attempts (23), rushing yards (104), rushing touchdowns (1), and fumbles (1) during the exhibition slate. Gore Jr. was once again released as part of final cuts, and he stuck with the Bills on their practice squad. He did not appear in a game during the regular season, but thanks to an injury to Ty Johnson, Gore Jr. made his professional debut during Buffalo’s 27-24 Wild Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game, he played four snaps on offense, catching his only target for a six-yard gain. He had zero carries in the win. During the following week, Buffalo’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, Gore Jr. was active once again. This time, he did not appear on offense, but he played 10 special teams snaps, notching his first career tackle.
Positional outlook: Gore Jr. is one of five running backs on the current roster. James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and Desmond Reid are the others. Jackson Acker and Ben VanSumeren are the fullbacks on the 91-man roster.
2026 Offseason: Gore Jr. is healthy and he has attended OTAs to date.
2026 Season outlook: Buffalo could save a touch over $2 million by releasing Johnson, as his dead cap number ($820,000) is much lower than his $3.275 million cap hit for the year. If we assume that they’d swap Gore Jr. in for him, that means that Buffalo would pay around half of Johnson’s cap hit to release him and keep Gore Jr. instead. In order for that to happen, the team would have to be sure that Gore Jr. provides the same juice in the passing game and as a backup that Johnson does. A savings of $1.6 million would be nice, but is it worth moving on from a productive player to obtain it?
Right at this moment, my answer to that question is “no.” However, I reserve the right to change my mind over the summer. Buffalo is clearly going to roll with Cook as their RB1, and I’d be stunned if Davis isn’t on the roster after the success he had as a kickoff returner last season, which only added to his all-around value. Of all the seasons where Gore Jr. has been with the Bills, I think this is the one where he has the clearest path to the 53-man roster. He showed that he can step up in clutch situations last year by making his NFL debut in the playoffs. What’s wild is that, technically, he still doesn’t have official statistics, as playoff numbers don’t count towards a player’s career totals. He’s played in a playoff game, but he still hasn’t made his regular-season debut.
So, while I don’t think that I’d guarantee a roster spot for Gore Jr. this season, I’ll say that it won’t surprise me at all if he pulls ahead of Ty Johnson during the summer, especially if Buffalo sees a way where they can funnel $1.6 million in cap dollars somewhere else on the roster. The time could be now for Frank Gore Jr. to start building his own NFL legacy.
