The Return of the Red and Blue practice saw nearly 40,000 members of the Bills Mafia arrive at Highmark Stadium to watch Josh Allen don a red helmet and see what the team has been working on over the past few weeks at St. John Fisher University.
A record-breaking crowd of 39,224 at our Blue & Red Practice tonight.
— Pete Guelli (@PeteGuelli) August 1, 2025
Thank you, Bills Mafia!! pic.twitter.com/HJi05NQbar
Outside of Allen throwing a few footballs to fans, his day was pretty much wrapped, which wound up causing a bit of controversy among the Bills Mafia circles on social media. For me, just getting to see Allen in a red helmet throwing some footballs to young fans was more than enough.
the bills brought 39,000 people to highmark stadium and the most they could do was trot josh allen out in a red helmet
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 2, 2025
Khalil Shakir's injury notwithstanding, the practice was a massive success. However, when it came to doing some kicking drills, the team found an unorthodox way of achieving these drills, with K Tyler Bass suffering from a pelvic injury . They 'fixed' their injury to their kicker by putting in the backup RB. Ochocinco did it, why can't Ray Davis?
Kicker competition? Ray Davis getting in some field goal opportunities with Tyler Bass injured #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/eis30Ey53I
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 1, 2025
While it was only from 27 yards out, Davis finished 2-3 on the day with Tyler Bass watching in the wings. I wouldn't be able to get close to an even 10-yard field goal, so it's mightily impressive to watch how superhuman these athletes can be.
Davis spoke to Dom Tibbetts, anchor, and reporter for WKBW, following the practice, opening up about his kicking prowess and even giving fans an inside scoop on a last-minute shopping trip needed to ensure he was ready to go for those field goal attempts.
#Bills RB Ray Davis filled in on FG duty today for Tyler Bass
— Dom Tibbetts (@DomTibbettsTV) August 2, 2025
Davis told us after his career longest was 57-yards back in high school
But in order to kick today he had to make a quick run to the store #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/6WcbCJSQMZ
"I used to kick in high school, so I was always telling them (McDermott and coaching staff) hey, if we ever need a guy, I can be that backup guy. It was fun to come out here and do it. Hopefully, you'll see me during the season. You know, I had to go get soccer cleats today so I could be able to still kick it"
It's no secret that there are ongoing contract discussions with RB James Cook. Cook reportedly wants Saquan Barkley money, and it doesn't seem like the Bills are going to budge.
James Cook has asked the #Bills for a deal in line with Saquon Barkley’s current contract. However, the Bills have countered with a significantly lower offer and have made it clear they won’t reset the RB market. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/hn4wrTqKzg
— Rickey (@RickeyScoops) July 29, 2025
With that, the team has RB Ray Davis, who made great strides last season and showcased how he can be a huge part in this offense.
After hearing Ray Davis’ story, this touchdown means so much more
— Primetime Adam (@AdamZientek3) December 7, 2024
Go Bills and Go Ray #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/AVWUY28ktX
Catching the football and running fast isn't Davis's only strong suit. Not to diminish his abilities, but he's much more than a traditional running back. While I don't see a world in which he'll be called upon to kick some field goals in case Tyler Bass misses time, it's nice that the team is working on a "break in case of emergency" type method.
Davis not only shines on the football field, but his story about his personal life struggles has gone mega viral over the past year. Shortly after the team's snow game against the San Francisco 49ers, a story broke discussing Davis's past in the foster care system. Check it out below
If you weren’t already a huge fan of Ray Davis, you will be after this
— Primetime Adam (@AdamZientek3) December 7, 2024
Give this 2 minutes, he’s truly an inspiration #BillsMafia
I’m speechless pic.twitter.com/XvQNmrVBBs
A class act that can be a Swiss army knife for a Josh Allen-led offense sounds amazing. All love for James Cook, but we also need to make way for the rise of Ray Davis.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!