Bills fans want to see more of franchise favorite’s son after preseason finale

Frank Gore Sr. spent 16 seasons as one of the most consistent and durable running backs in the NFL. The future Hall of Fame running back was drafted in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but he spent time the final six seasons of his career playing for four other teams before retiring after the 2020 season.

Now, his son is following in his footsteps and picking up where he left off. Gore Jr. tallied 4,022 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average at Southern Mississippi. Despite his solid collegiate career, he didn't hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Gore signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent and entered the preseason listed fourth on the depth chart behind James Cook, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis.

Gore received an opportunity to make his case for a roster spot in Buffalo's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, and he didn't squander it. Determined to prove teams wrong for not drafting him, Gore notched the first 100-yard rushing performance of his NFL career.

Frank Gore Jr. shows promise in Bills preseason finale

With his father in attendance, Gore gashed the Panthers defense for 101 yards on 18 carries. Gore is wearing No. 20, the same jersey number his father wore when he played for the Bills for the 2019 season. Beyond the jersey, he looked much like his father as he broke tackles to score a five-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Gore certainly made his case for a roster spot with an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Even if the Bills opt to release him or move him to the practice squad, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get scooped up by another team after his performance.

Buffalo's running game has sorely needed assistance to take the burden off of quarterback Josh Allen, who has singlehandedly kept the team's rushing attack alive. Allen has accounted for a significant amount of the team's rushing yards in each of his six seasons, and he led the team in rushing yards during his rookie season in 2018. While Cook put together a respectable rookie campaign last year, the emergence of Gore could help diversify Buffalo's offensive attack.

Gore posted seven carries for 21 yards in Buffalo's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. The following week, he carried the ball eight times for 41 yards. He finished his first preseason with a total of 33 carries for 163 yards and a touchdown.

While his 4.9 yards-per-carry average is an impressive start, Gore still has a long way to go if he plans to chase down his father, who is third on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 16,000 rushing yards.