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Bills vs Panthers: 2022 Preseason finale open thread

Buffalo travels to North Carolina to close its preseason

The Buffalo Bills square off against the Carolina Panthers at 7:00 PM Eastern tonight. Head coach Sean McDermott stated early in the week that most of the team’s starters would not play against the Panthers, including Josh Allen.

McDermott wants to make sure that depth players get an opportunity to show what they can do while roster evaluations continue towards final cuts. General manager Brandon Beane stated earlier this week that the team is in the “50s” pertaining to players they hope to keep as part of the final roster. He added that decisions will come down to the week of practices and performances tonight against the Panthers.

The biggest headlines surrounding the Bills of course focus on their current punter, Matt Araiza, and the allegations tied to his involvement in the gang rape of a 17-year old high school student at a house occupied by members of the San Diego State University football team in 2021.

Despite those allegations against him, Araiza has traveled with the team, but will not play in any capacity. Many players on the bubble are likely hoping to make the roster through special teams, including the punt unit. The fleeting nature of jobs in the NFL mean that Buffalo’s players must make the most of a terrible situation.

The last 24 hours of news have shown Bills Mafia that life is often much bigger than football. But for many of these players, tonight is as big as it gets—because it is their life and their future in the league depends on these 60 football minutes.

Here’s your open thread. As always, please remain respectful towards others in your comments. Remember, there are a lot of players on Buffalo’s roster who deserve our attention, and who we should try to focus on for the next few hours and coming days.

Due to the nature of the headlines surrounding Araiza, we encourage you to direct discussions to any of our active posts on the situation: