The Buffalo Bills opened their 2026 NFL preseason slate at home against the Carolina Panthers, and while the final score might not matter, there is plenty to be gleaned from individual player performances. Sometimes, the performance is even less important than the time of the game a player was on the field.
In the early going, at least, the Bills looked good. Their first-team offense was humming, and their first-team defense stifled the Panthers. It wasn’t until both teams’ backups entered the fray that the Panthers began to mount some competitive drives.
Evaluating a preseason output always comes with one very large grain of salt, but our stock report for Buffalo’s first preseason game has both highs and lows.
Horns Up: Keon Coleman
For the embattled former second-round pick, a pivotal third season awaits. No judgment can be had after just one preseason game, but it was a nice afternoon for No. 0. Coleman started the game, and he saw plenty of action in the early going. Coleman was targeted four teams, tied with DJ Moore and Ray Davis for the most first-half targets of any Buffalo wideout. Coleman caught all four of those passes, and while they amounted to just 17 yards, he did catch the first touchdown at New Highmark Stadium. Coleman kept moving while Josh Allen did Josh Allen things on a first-and-goal from the nine. Coleman also displayed his ability as a blocker, sealing the edge on a nice reverse to Mecole Hardman Jr. Thanks in part to his efforts, Hardman Jr. gained 27 yards on the play. Overall, it was a positive afternoon for Coleman.
Horns Down: OTs not named Dion Dawkins
On Buffalo’s first drive, it was right tackle Spencer Brown whiffing on Jaelan Phillips, resulting in a pressure on Josh Allen that forced a field goal attempt. On Buffalo’s second drive, Brown was shoved into Allen’s lap on a pass that was ultimately completed; however, it would have been nice to have kept QB1 on his feet on the play. Later, it was Chase Lundt and Jude Bowry allowing a defensive meeting in the Buffalo backfield, as both players whiffed on blocks that caused a major pressure on Kyle Allen. Later in the first half, Bowry was burned off the edge again, leading to a hit on Kyle Allen. He also committed a hold on Buffalo’s first drive of the third quarter, negating a long Frank Gore Jr. run. I don’t think it’s cause for major concern, but neither Lundt nor Bowry looked capable of stepping in against backups, let alone starters, in the event of an injury to either Brown or Dawkins.
Horns Up: Quarterbacks with the surname Allen
Both Josh Allen and Kyle Allen looked excellent all afternoon. Josh started the game, and he completed 6-of-8 passes for 111 yards and a score over his two drives. Three of those passes went to his newest target, DJ Moore, for 61 yards. The play-action pass, in particular, looked fantastic, as Allen hit Moore for one long gain and Khalil Shakir for two long gains off of hard play-fakes. Most importantly is that No. 17 exited the game with zero injuries.
Kyle Allen took over on Buffalo’s third drive, and he was very efficient with the reserve group. He completed 14-of-16 passes for 108 yards during his work in the first half. Sure, there were plenty of check-downs to players like Ray Davis, but he threw a few nice passes to Trent Sherfield Sr., as well, who caught both of his first-half targets for 12 yards. Stephen Gosnell caught a pair of 18-yard strikes from No. 11, as well. It was a positive outing for the veteran backup.
Horns Down: Geno Stone
It was not a great first half for the veteran safety, as he allowed a passing touchdown late in the first half on the same drive where he committed a facemask penalty to extend it. Stone grabbed quarterback Kenny Pickett’s facemask on a third down near Carolina’s 20-yard line when the Buffalo stop unit had him dead to rights. That likely would have led to a punt. Instead, the Panthers had a first down on their own 37, and after a long pass interference penalty on Toriano Pride Jr., they had marched down the field and scored.
Horns Up: Lloyd Cushenberry
Sometimes, it’s when a guy doesn’t play that tells us more about a player than when or how he does play. Cushenberry started the game, but he came out when Josh Allen exited the game. Conversely, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger played deep into the second half. That tells me that Cushenberry is likely ahead of the third-year man in the race to back up Connor McGovern. Given that McGovern is currently nursing a hamstring injury, if he’s unable to go on September 13 when the Bills face the Houston Texans, I’d bet that it will be Cushenberry starting that game in his place.
Horns Down: Discipline
There were far too many sloppy penalties. Yes, it’s the first preseason game. Yes, many of those penalties were on young players. However, there was at least one penalty on a starter, as well, with Dion Dawkins jumping early for a false start. That’s been a major problem for him over the last few seasons. Maybe I’m just a crabby coach, but there were too many plays where a penalty ruined what otherwise looked like a solid rep.
Horns Up: Dorian Williams
See my earlier note regarding Lloyd Cushenberry. Dorian Williams started the game and made three first-half tackles. However, he was nowhere near the field in the second half, as rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr and third-year man Joe Andreessen were playing late in the game. While that might have been a good sign for the rookie, it was a little interesting to see Andreessen on the field late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter. However, it looked like Dorian Williams is the clubhouse leader to start inside at linebacker next to Terrel Bernard.
Horns Up: Jordan Hancock
The second-year man was out there with the second-team defense, but he was all over the place when he was on the field. Hancock made four tackles, including two tackles for loss, and he looked good both in coverage and as a blitzer attacking the line of scrimmage. Steve Tasker noted on the broadcast that a change in defensive philosophy could be the best thing to happen to someone like Hancock, and while it’s only one afternoon, the early returns seem to support that point.
Horns Questionable: T.J. Sanders and Mike Danna
On the one hand, Danna had two sacks and essentially ended a fourth-quarter Carolina drive by himself. However, as a six-year veteran who played a key role on the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense over the last few seasons, it is definitely noteworthy that Danna was playing in the fourth quarter. Could this performance catapult him to a different role next week? Time will tell, but Danna definitely acquitted himself well in the role he was asked to play.
As for Sanders, the team’s unofficial preseason depth chart listed him as a starter on the defensive line; however, he was also playing well into the fourth quarter. There are only so many bodies, but after an up-and-down rookie season that was arguably more down than up, it’s not a great sign that he was playing in the fourth quarter without accruing much of anything in the way of attention-grabbing plays.
Horns Up: Ian Wheeler
With all due respect for Frank Gore Jr., who turned in a characteristically solid performance today, Wheeler came in against essentially the same competition and offered a completely different gear than the third-year man. Whereas Gore Jr. is patient but lacking in burst, Wheeler showed great vision, solid contact balance. Most importantly, he showed a second gear that Gore Jr. just doesn’t have. If Ty Johnson takes longer than anticipated to heal from his hamstring injury, Wheeler could start to position himself as a possible third running back with more outings like this. I’ll be interested to see if he parlays today’s strong performance into a larger role next week.
Horns Up/Down: Your Call
Let’s hear it, folks. Who stood out to you in this one? Let us know in the comments.