Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR) - The Buffalo Bills will wrap up their 2026 preseason schedule at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night at Highmark Stadium.
Here are four things to watch:
Orchard Park, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the second half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Highmark Stadium on Aug. 15, 2026.Timothy T. Ludwig - Getty Images
1.) Those final roster spots
On an exclusive Always Gameday in Buffalo podcast, general manager Brandon Beane told Matt Bove and myself there are about "50-ish" spots on the roster they are pretty confident in right now. That would leave maybe three spots available.
How do they determine who gets those? Beane said special teams will matter. How many phases of the game a player can play?
He also said you don’t want to sacrifice a player who will really help you at a position just for that either.
Watching the rotation at a few of these spots may give us some insight into what they ultimately do.
Cleveland, Ohio - Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass kicks a 52-yard field goal during the third quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Aug. 22, 2026. Jason Miller - Getty Images
2.) Tyler Bass
Beane also said the reason they did not bring another kicker in this offseason was because they did not want to have competitions at both punter and kicker at training camp, and reiterated his faith in Tyler Bass.
Bass was a perfect 5-for-5 last Saturday in Cleveland against the Browns, including a 52 yard field goal.
But with Bass still the only kicker on the roster, whatever chances the team has for kicks in the game will still go to him, and every time he steps on the field is an evaluation from both the organization and fans.
Orchard Park, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis runs the ball during the first half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Highmark Stadium on Aug. 15, 2026. Timothy T. Ludwig - Getty Images
3.) Punt return job
At this point, it feels like It’s Ray Davis’ punt return job to lose.
He had a nice 12-yard return against the Browns on Saturday, and has taken the first rep at that spot over the first two preseason games.
Plus, Mecole Hardman, who would appear to be his biggest competition there, did not practice this week.
We will see if he is available to play Thursday night, but right now it’s trending towards Davis winning the job, which would allow the team to not have to burn another roster spot on a return man specifically, and that’s probably the best-case scenario for the roster.
Pittsford, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills wide receiver Skyler Bell participates in drills during training camp at St. John Fisher University on July 29, 2026. Joe Hrycych - Getty Images
4.) Skyler Bell
We have yet to see Skyler Bell play in any game action this preseason. Head coach Joe Brady said he’d love to see him out there Thursday night getting some work in with quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele, who are in a battle themselves for the backup position.
Bell, a fourth-round pick in this past April's NFL Draft who was highly productive at UConn, has dealt with injuries throughout minicamp and training camp.
Thursday night will be his best opportunity to get on the field and show he can contribute to the offense before the team decides how to handle their roster heading into Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
Outlet Liquor
