91 Buffalo Bills Players in 91 Days: Running Back Frank Gore Jr.

The Buffalo Bills appear to be a team that is determined to run the ball a bit more next season. While it may seem counterproductive with a quarterback as talented as Josh Allen, having a good ground game will unlock different strengths in Allen’s game. While many teams won’t be tempted to run on a play fake, knowing full well that Allen and the pass are more dangerous than anything a Bills player can do on the ground, if that trend starts to reverse, it will open up some big play-action opportunities.

With a rebuilt receiving corps, it would certainly be nice for first-year offensive coordinator Joe Brady to have a running game to take the pressure off this passing attack. If the Bills can spread the carries throughout their diverse backfield, it will make the running game much better — and much less predictable.

In today’s edition of “91 Players in 91 Days,” we discuss an undrafted rookie with a very familiar name.

Frank Gore Jr.

• Number: 20
• Position: RB
• Size weight: 5’8”, 195 lbs
• Age: 22 (23 on 03/13/2025)
• Experience/Draft: R; signed with Buffalo after the 2024 NFL Draft
• College: So, Mississippi
• Acquired: Signature of the UDFA

Financial situation (according to Spotrac): Gore Jr. signed his three-year, $2.845 million rookie contract in late April. He’s guaranteed $90,000 of that total, which is also the amount that Buffalo will have to pay if they release him. If Gore Jr. makes the roster, he’ll have a salary cap hit of $800,000 for the year.

2023 Recap: Gore Jr. had another productive season for the Eagles, as he topped the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year. He rushed for 1,131 yards on 231 carries, an average of 4.9 yards per carry, and scored 10 touchdowns. He added 27 receptions for 221 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were Gore Jr.’s single-season bests in his NCAA career. He finished his career third on the school’s all-time rushing list, gaining 4,022 yards on 759 varsity carries.

For his efforts, Gore Jr. was invited to both the East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He made the most of his opportunity at the Shrine Bowl, earning the Offensive MVP award with his six-carry, 87-yard performance, capping it off with a 47-yard touchdown run. He also had one reception for three yards in the game. At the combine, Gore Jr. opted to compete only in the bench press, where he completed 12 reps at 225 pounds. At Southern Mississippi’s pro day, he improved on that number by completing 18 reps of the 225-pound bench press, but he didn’t fare very well in the other tests. He ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.69 seconds, and he had a vertical jump of 29 inches and a broad jump of 9’3″.

Positional perspectives: Gore Jr. is one of five running backs on Buffalo’s current roster. James Cook, Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans were all with the Bills last season, while Ray Davis was a fourth-round selection in April.

Off-season 2024: Gore Jr. is healthy and participating in the team’s offseason program.

Outlook for the 2024 season: I don’t foresee a scenario where Gore Jr. would be higher than RB4, as I think a trio of Cook, Johnson, and Davis at the top of the depth chart — and not necessarily in that order — seems like the way to go. That’s not to say I think it’s a given that Gore Jr. will be released, though, as I could absolutely see the Bills keeping an extra running back here if they thought they were going to run the ball a lot.

The difficulty with fitting Gore Jr. on the roster comes in determining where the team will cut back at other positions due to the addition of a fifth running back. That’s why I ultimately view him as a practice squad candidate rather than a roster spot. Giving Gore Jr. $75,000 in guaranteed salary gives me some hesitation about the team potentially cutting him; however, that amount is minimal in the grand scheme of the Bills’ vast operating budget.

Frank Gore Jr. will need a big preseason to force Johnson off the roster, and given Johnson’s speed combined with his success in limited action last year, I doubt that will happen.