Bills to Keep Frank Gore Jr?

if you've never done a 53 man roster projection I encourage you to try because until you've done it it's super easy to be like oh we gotta keep that guy oh we gotta keep that guy but then once you do it and you get down to those 53rd 52nd guys and you realize it's not like Frank Gore is competing with Tai Johnson for the 53rd spot he's competing with the 10th offensive lineman or the fifth Edge rusher or the sixth round pick that you're also hiding on so that's where those decisions get really tricky or he's competing with a safety at a position that the bills are down some guys and that's where it's like man can I really keep this guy let's start with Frank gour Jr he's a guy that really popped in this last preseason game he's a guy that you were high on when the bills signed him as an undrafted free agent we both you know thought he was an intriguing day three level Prospect in the draft somebody worth taking a shot on Frank Gore Jr is a player that a lot of bills fans are are really uh really enjoying right now um somos 34 Frank Jr the balance and vision make up for any Elite combine measurables and we put a question out there and we got a lot of Frank Gore Jr responses y my one push back Luca before I kick it to you is he didn't play a down of special teams in all of preseason he played less than 30 Downs of special teams in his entire college career and if you're talking about a guy who's going to be the fourth running back on the team because Ray Davis James cooker here and Tai Johnson I expect to be here he has to play special teams to matter if he's not playing special teams I don't see a path for him to make this team and as good as he looked on Saturday my counterargument would be Raheem Black Shear Joe Burns um shod Williams you know the names through the years I I hope he has a wonderful career but a performance on Saturday in that environment is not enough to move me enough to think we have to clear way for him to make the team I think special teams as the point of where you're trying to go with this makes all the sense in the world because the two people in my eyes Frank Gore if he's making this roster he has to make it over Darrington Evans and Tai Johnson in my opinion those two individuals both being Evans and Johnson do provide in special teams they've both put it on tape they've both experienced that they are returners in their own right they can play special teams as you mentioned Frank Gore Jr is not a guy who does that it's not something he's ever been asked to do really it's just not his wheelhouse that is something that we know with this coaching staff with this front office that they clearly value you know they evaluate a player from all three phases of the game obviously it's two phases if you're you know defensive and or offensive you're not playing offense and defense that's something that hasn't happened for a long time other than random people in college so it's just one of those things where okay you're a depth running back you know darington Evans if we're keeping him along it's because we also know that in a pinch in a game if he has to be active he can be that returner for us as well it's it's why a guy like you know as we we talk about dcoin Hardy the the value in him being on the 53 Andor also being active on game days is he's not just simply a depth corner he can play nickel boundary and he can be a return for you it's you have to be versatile if you're one of these depth pieces because those are the kinds of guys that could have to step up in multiple role depending on what happens both in a game or throughout the week regardless you know because of say someone picked up an injury a small knock during the practice whatever it might be so Frank gor just doesn't have that versatility to his game right now in the sense of where he can be played that it's ultimately gonna hold him back and yes I think his performance in the week three preseason game was nice to see it's also one where I really I think also NFL teams outside of the bill still value that individual if you're a depth running back or skill position in general you should be good at a couple things and I can see Frank Gore being the kind he went through the draft undrafted he signed with the bills there's a reason for it you know whatever the reason is it's not like we were sitting there and we know but I can feel confiden is that if you were to let him go at roster cutdown time you should be able to bring a guy like him back on the practice squad and let him still sit there if you still feel good good about him that is the kind of player he is and that's fine you know the black shears and all those other players that you mentioned eventually they found a house elsewhere because someone either ran into a positional issue you know like Black Shear went to the Panthers eventually because they were having running back crisis and that was someone on the radar clearly things like that where that could happen for Frank or as well but for the bills in this I don't see how he ultimately got there above Evans and Tai Johnson to get that kind of third spot in my eyes that he absolutely needed to do and it's primarily just because of the limitations in his game and in what he's capable of and it's not like you you were look at him and you're like holy crap we really did get you know the kid of a Hall of Famer here and we can't cut him it's like no he he looked like a good player overall like it's not like he's anything horrible but realistically he didn't make enough of a a shock to anyone that it's like yeah you have to let him stay on the 53 because he's gone as soon as you let him go if the bills wanted to keep Frank Gore Jr I think a couple dominoes would have to fall one I think Marquez Valdez skley would have to probably start the year on injured reserve and that would mean that KJ hamler would then have a path to making the team as not only your deep threat but also as a kick returner although I'm getting the vibe that no matter what happens with Marquez Valdez scantling that Mack Holland might be the guy in the Gabe Davis role where you just are running deep every play Taking guys with you I'm getting that Vibe um and then then on top of everything I just said then you'd have to believe that Frank Gord J is a better Prospect or a better player than Ty Johnson so if you can get there then then he can make the team I will say this you would make that move if Frank Gore Jr was a good pass protector the problem is he's not the bills right now in their running back room lack a good pass protector that's not Ray Davis it's not James Cook it's not Ty Johnson it's not Frank Gore none of these guys have that reputation maybe Frank Gore showed us showed them something in the summer that that we have not been privy to and maybe that is a is a deciding factor in my opinion this is a pretty easy decision Frank Gore is going to be cut I will say the good news Luca um there's a lot of good running backs out there you just mentioned we were talking beforehand Michael Carter former fourth round pick is like not even a thought to make the Cardinals roster and that's a guy that has name value in this league um I don't think that there's going to be a line of teams eager to go pick up Frank Gore who was undrafted so they all passed on him in April who doesn't play special teams what's what's the incentive for them to add him to their roster now he might decide he'd rather go to the Broncos practice squad or something like that but I I do think practice squad is his future and I think very much he could wind up on the bills practice squad so I think we're sharing a brain there cool story I I'd love to be wrong on this I I'd love to find out that Frank Gore wowed the bills so much they just can't they just can't let him go but I feel like I've seen this enough in the NFL with running backs that teams kind of know what they're looking at and we've seen a lot of running back shine in that last preseason game