a ways away<\/a>\u201d from a return. Hairston\u2019s appearance on the field prior to the season opener seems questionable at best at the moment. He continues to lose valuable practice reps.<\/p>\nBuffalo\u2019s second-round selection had some disappointing reps as a run blocker early in the game as Chicago\u2019s first-team offense marched down the field. That led to Sanders getting added run later in the game as clearly McDermott didn\u2019t love what he was seeing from the young defensive tackle early on.<\/p>\n
Luckily, Sanders flashed some of his play-making and athletic ability as the game went on. He had an impressive rep against the Bears\u2019 first-team offense as highlighted below. Sanders still has work to do to hold his ground as a run defender, but the flashes he\u2019s shown with some dominant wins have been encouraging.<\/p>\n
Jackson rightfully caught some flack for his Week 1 preseason performance against the Giants, but I thought he did some nice things against the Bears. He had multiple near-sack opportunities. A slightly quicker shed or better coverage on the back end to hold up their end could have allowed him a better box score number.<\/p>\n
Jackson did a nice job displaying his length and using his arms\/hands to his advantage against the left side of Chicago\u2019s offensive line. He\u2019s not a bender, but the hand usage and closing speed is definitely there. He may have been the best overall performer of any rookie defensive lineman on the team.<\/p>\n
Walker\u2019s mass of humanity has carried over into the NFL; he\u2019s simply a gargantuan human even for professional football standards. It\u2019s hard to miss Walker on the field on the television copy, and he\u2019s shown off several dominant reps over the first couple of weeks in preseason.<\/p>\n
Similar to Sanders, the run defense is a work in progress for Walker. You would think Walker\u2019s natural fit from a size standpoint would be at the one-technique in the Bills\u2019 even front, but the reality is that his run defense leaves a good bit to be desired due to his narrow lower half.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubting Walker has stopping power in his hands and size that you simply can\u2019t teach. Even if he\u2019s just a bull in a china shop as a rookie, the Bills will take that havoc come playoff time.<\/p>\n
The Bills\u2019 positionless draft selection in Hancock appears to have found a permanent home at safety for Buffalo\u2019s defense. Of course, his history at Ohio State still presents the possibility that he can fill in at the slot\/nickel if necessary to spell cornerback Taron Johnson.<\/p>\n
Hancock continues to be a bright spot for the Bills\u2019 deep depth through two game performances. He may even push to start at some point across from Taylor Rapp amidst the struggles of Cole Bishop. Certainly the team will allow Bishop to fail before that happens, but he may be tracking as the third safety on this roster with the severe athletic limitations for Damar Hamlin.<\/p>\n
Once again, Hancock\u2019s aggressiveness in run support showed up with a couple of stops at (or near) the line of scrimmage. He did miss out on a pass breakup at the goal line as the ball sailed over his head for a score. Hancock was positioned well, but failed to affect the ball while the man corner lost his rep to the corner of the end zone.<\/p>\n
Hancock was also injured in this game with what was deemed a shoulder injury after a heavy collision in the intermediate area after a short Bears reception. McDermott said that Hancock could miss the preseason finale this weekend due to the injury, but there wasn\u2019t much more added to that. There\u2019s a chance Hancock starts games at safety in 2025 as long as the shoulder injury isn\u2019t deemed serious.<\/p>\n
The college profile represents Hawes well as he transitions into the NFL. But there\u2019s a reason the team got to pick him in the middle of Day 3. He\u2019s not much in the pass-catching department and the overall athleticism certainly doesn\u2019t blow you away.<\/p>\n
Hawes is a nasty blocker as a throwback Y-tight end. He will almost exclusively be used in-line in the NFL with the ability and upside to be a true road-grading tight end. The Bills already boasted a heck of a jumbo package in 2024 that including Alec Anderson as the pseudo tight end.<\/p>\n
The addition of Hawes adds to that element with a legitimate tight end body who, at the minimum, has to be respected as a possible pass catcher when on the field. Hawes may not play a ton of snaps in 2025, but he will almost certainly have a key role in keeping Josh Allen and James Cook upright.<\/p>\n
The early word has been that Dorian Strong was punching above his weight in terms of draft capital (sixth-round pick) used to select him. However, two games of preseason games have not fared well for him.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s struggled in run defense Sunday. He also gave up a lot of space to wide receiver Rome Odunze and others. He may still make the roster, but it appears some of the luster and hype from early in camp has worn off a bit. Strong will need a good showing this weekend to cement his status on the roster.<\/p>\n
Lundt got work at both left guard and right tackle on Sunday. He struggled with anchor, losing a rep on the interior that led to a sack. Some of the question with Lundt had to do with anchor ability and how he handled power coming out of college. That showed up on Sunday.<\/p>\n
If Lundt is going to survive in the NFL, it may have to come outside at tackle despite less-than-ideal arm length. Lundt has had bright moments in camp, including a good performance in Week 1 of preseason.<\/p>\n
Prather had a tough path to making the roster in 2025. He was cut on Tuesday after appearing suffering an injury in Sunday\u2019s game. Prather may revert to Injured Reserve or be waived with an injury settlement. That remains to be seen at this time. Prather won\u2019t factor into the team\u2019s plans from an active roster standpoint this season.<\/p>\n
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