Alaina GetzenbergDec 19, 2025, 06:00 AM ET

CloseAlaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the first preseason game of the season, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott gave running back Ray Davis a chance to see what he could do as a kicker.

Before training camp, Davis hadn’t attempted one since high school when he played the position. But against the New York Giants, Davis’ point after touchdown attempt (PAT) was good.

Davis hasn’t attempted a field goal or PAT in a game since then, but he did effort an onside kick in the Bills’ Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. More importantly than his emergency kicker role, however, is the crucial role Davis has landed on special teams — at kick returner.

The Bills special teams unit has started to find its rhythm late in the season, led by Davis, who sits atop the league in average kickoff return (32.4). As Buffalo’s playoff push continues with a chance to clinch this weekend — a win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) and a loss or tie by the Houston Texans or the Indianapolis Colts or Bills tie and Colts or Texans loss will get it done — the little details are only that much more impactful. Enter a return game that is finding its stride in the colder half of the season.

Among the early signs of the surging return game included Davis running back a touchdown in the Week 12 loss to the Texans. No player this season has more than one kickoff return touchdown (five total).

“Let me score one more, then maybe I’ll talk,” Davis said when asked about mastering returning.

“…It’s the preparation that I take throughout the week. … From communicating with [Reggie Gilliam], [Cam Lewis], and just everybody out there, what they see and what they do in terms of the blocking scheme. But it’s still a craft. It’s not an art yet.”

The Bills view the new kickoff return rules as “really a run play,” as Gilliam described, and Bills special teams coordinator Chris Tabor likened game planning for the play like in the NBA.

“It’s matchups, and where do you have your big people vs. their big people or small people,” Tabor said. “So, you have to work at that, because obviously they can change it at any moment, can you change and those types of things, but I think that’s where the fun part comes in.”

After cycling through return options, Davis has emerged as a strong presence when given more opportunities in the role, beginning in Week 9 as the team dealt with injuries and tinkered with the roster — all in part thanks to his background as a running back. Davis, a fourth-round pick by the Bills in 2024, had a bit of experience doing so in his rookie season as well.

“We changed up the scheme a little bit,” Gilliam said on what has been working. “… The biggest thing for it is a lot of returners will kind of pitter-patter. And it’s like with a running back, he’s just downhill and it’s like you got to stop him. He’s breaking arm tackles, whatever it may be.”

Tabor said Davis has reached out him on Monday nights throughout the season about things he’s seeing from opponents to see if Tabor sees it the same way.

“He’s embraced a role that maybe wasn’t his initial goal, perhaps, right,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “And yet at the same time, he saw an opportunity, and he took advantage of it, which I think is really, really cool to see. He’s taken a lot of pride in doing well.”

Davis has made no secret he would like to have a bigger role on offense, but running back James Cook III having a career season has limited backup opportunities.

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From Weeks 13-15, the Bills have averaged a starting field position at the opponent’s 32-yard line (which ranks 14th). Prior to that, the team averaged the 28.6 (30th). What has improved in recent weeks is a reduction of penalties on kickoffs. Prior to Week 13, the Bills were 29th in penalties on kickoffs with eight of the 11 coming when they were receiving the ball. In the three games since, the Bills have had none on kickoffs they have received.

“We said [after penalties in games vs. the Chiefs and Dolphins] if we could just clean those up, we’re right there,” Tabor said. “And so, they’ve made it an emphasis amongst themselves and we’re all working together on it of just doing the best we can blocking, and if they get to an edge, we got to let them go.”

In Week 15, offensive lineman Alec Anderson was brought in to block immediately ahead of Davis, which resulted in a 58-yard return to start the second half as Anderson cleared a lane. Allen pointed to that as a play that turned the game.

“Ray just has been doing an amazing job of just not waiting for something to pop open, just hitting it,” Lewis said. “… When you watch tape and when you play other teams, the returners that kind of chop their feet and stuff like that, they don’t really kind of get big returns out of that.”

On the five kickoff returns against the Patriots, the furthest back the Bills started was their own 30-yard line with three going into New England territory.

The team will turn to a new kicker in Michael Badgley against Cleveland after veteran Matt Prater, who has kicked for the Bills all season, suffered a right quad injury against New England. Kicker Tyler Bass, who is on injured reserve, is not an option as he had season-ending surgery in November to help solve his left hip/groin issue. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was also limited in Thursday’s practice with a right knee injury.

Injuries will be an area to watch as the Bills are coming off an all-around strong special teams performance with Prater making all five of his PATs and putting New England inside its 20-yard line on three of four punts (despite Patriots returner Marcus Jones being second in yards per punt return).

Wide receiver and returner Mecole Hardman‘s practice window from injured reserve adds another option to the mix, but while Hardman has been down, Davis has shown why he should continue. As far as possibly expanding his role, when asked if he put himself out there for the temporary kicker role, however, Davis jokingly said that he did but missed the tryouts.

“Hopefully they’ll come and get me.”