Frank Gore Jr. is ready to follow in his famous father's footsteps

Frank Gore Jr. walked off the football field on Saturday for what may be his final time as a member of the Buffalo Bills. If he does leave on Tuesday, when all teams must have 53 players on the active roster, Gore knows he gave it everything he had.

Although the Bills lost 31-26 to the Carolina Panthers, Gore rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown. If Saturday was his swan song, he really came out on top.

“I can't control it, so there's nothing I can do about it. But I'm doing my best every day during preseason training camp,” Gore told the media after the game Saturday night. “Whatever they decide, they decide. They're going to do what's best for the team, and I'm going to be OK no matter what.”

The last preseason game was a rest for the starters. Gore didn't mind because he needed the reps and the action. If he doesn't make it in Buffalo, one of the other 31 NFL teams will look at his video and see what he did.

“I actually felt like I played well all preseason. It was just that everyone had to rotate, so I didn't really get going because I'm used to playing all four quarters in college,” Gore said. “So I was excited to come here and be able to play a full game again. So that's what I was looking forward to. I was prepared for that.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott said some good things about Gore after the game.

“I thought he did some good stuff, too,” McDermott said. “It's a shame he went down late in the game, but he ran hard and gave us some momentum.”

Chances are Gore won't make the Bills' final 53-man roster. He's too low in the rankings. However, he could be a candidate for the practice squad or claimed off waivers by another team in need of a young running back.

Gore's father, Frank Gore Sr., is an advisor to the San Francisco 49ers. He retired after the 2021 season as the third-leading runner in NFL history. Only Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders accumulated more yards.