Joe Brady wanted his rookies to bring some energy to the Buffalo Bills.
They brought plenty.
A sack. An interception. A fourth-down pass breakup. And a whole lot of playing time.
The Bills' first rookie class under Brady got an extended audition in a 29-14 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers at new Highmark Stadium.
Brady has liked their attitude since the start of training camp.
“Going back to our first day in pads, everybody that started a fight was a rookie,” Brady said after the game. “There's a mentality and the passion for football we're looking for.”
That passion carried into the preseason opener.
That included the Bills sideline emptying to celebrate undrafted rookie cornerback Kani Walker's interception late in the game.
“Nothing drives me more crazy than when people are like, ‘It's the preseason,’” Brady said. “No, we're going to compete in everything we do. The standard is the standard.
“I don't care if it's the fourth quarter (of the preseason) and we get a stop, celebrate on the sideline That's important to me.”
Here's how every Bills rookie performed in the preseason opener:
Buffalo Bills 2026 draft picksT.J. Parker, OLB, second round.@tomarrion with the SACK ‼️
Tune into CBS pic.twitter.com/ts9NC0Okyl
Stats: 1 tackle, 1 sack; 20 defensive snaps, 7 special teams snaps
T.J. Parker didn't need long to record his first NFL sack.
Parker brought down Kenny Pickett in the third quarter and was one of four Bills to record a sack as Buffalo's defense held Carolina to 201 total yards.
Davison Igbinosun, CB, second roundStats: 1 tackle; 37 defensive snaps, 4 special teams snaps
Igbinosun got an extended look in his preseason debut, playing the second-most defensive snaps among Bills rookies behind Jalon Kilgore.
Jude Bowry, OT/G, fourth roundStats: 48 offensive snaps, 5 special teams snaps; 1 holding penalty
Bowry played more offensive snaps than any of Buffalo's drafted rookies.
The rookie was called for holding in the third quarter, wiping out a 17-yard run by Frank Gore Jr.
Skyler Bell, WR, fourth roundStats: Did not play
Bell was the only Bills draft pick who didn't play.
He missed practice time leading up to the preseason opener with a lower-body injury and did not dress against Carolina. Brady said Bell could have played if it had been a regular-season game, but the Bills opted to give him more time to recover.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, fourth roundStats: 3 tackles; 22 defensive snaps, 3 special teams snaps; 1 pass interference penalty
Elarms-Orr was flagged for pass interference on third-and-19 during Carolina's 15-play drive to open the second half.
The Panthers held the ball for 8 minutes, 23 seconds on the possession but came away without points.
Jalon Kilgore, S, fifth roundStats: 1 tackle, 1 pass defended; 41 defensive snaps, 9 special teams snaps
Kilgore played more defensive snaps than any Bills rookie and made one of the biggest plays of the second half.
Carolina faced fourth-and-2 when Kilgore blitzed and jumped to knock down Kenny Pickett's pass, turning the ball over on downs to end a 15-play drive.
Zane Durant, DT, fifth roundStats: 1 tackle; 20 defensive snaps, 1 special teams snap
Durant played 20 snaps as part of a Bills defensive front that finished with four sacks and helped hold Carolina to 201 total yards.
Toriano Pride, CB, seventh roundStats: 6 tackles; 34 defensive snaps, 9 special teams snaps; 1 pass interference penalty
Pride's six tackles were the most among Buffalo's rookies.
The cornerback was also called for a 25-yard pass interference penalty during Carolina's touchdown drive late in the second quarter.
Tommy Doman, P, seventh roundStats: 7 special teams snaps; 0 punts
Doman handled holding duties but didn't get an opportunity to punt in his preseason debut.
Ar'maj Reed-Adams, G, seventh roundStats: 52 offensive snaps, 3 special teams snaps; 1 holding penalty
Reed-Adams tied for the most offensive snaps on the team. Adams. He was on the field for 52 of Buffalo's 67 offensive plays. He was also called for holding once.
Buffalo Bills undrafted rookiesKani Walker, CBKani Walker gets the INT and cheers from @JoshAllenQB 👏
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/OCbLRiXcEp
Stats: 1 interception; 12 defensive snaps
Walker didn't practice during the week because of an injury. The Bills put the undrafted cornerback through a workout Friday and had him warm up again at halftime Saturday before deciding he could play.
Walker needed only 12 defensive snaps to make one of the biggest plays by a Bills rookie.
He jumped a screen pass from Kyle Trask intended for running back Mike Davis for an interception in the fourth quarter, setting off a celebration on the Buffalo sideline.
"That's high level play from a guy that's a rookie," Brady said.
The Bills turned the interception into a touchdown three plays later.
Jordan Dunbar, CBStats: 4 tackles; 11 defensive snaps, 2 special teams snaps
Theron Gaines, LBStats: 3 tackles; 18 defensive snaps, 8 special teams snaps
Cade Denhoff, LBStats: 1 tackle; 18 defensive snaps, 3 special teams snaps
Mike Tomczak, WRStats: 7 offensive snaps; 0 receptions
Bruno Fina, GStats: 4 offensive snaps, 5 special teams snaps
Da'Metrius Weatherspoon, GStats: 4 offensive snaps
Jackson Acker, FBStats: 3 offensive snaps, 4 special teams snaps
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills rookies waste little time getting Joe Brady's attention
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