HBO’s “Hard Knocks” is nearing the end of its run with the Buffalo Bills.
With tight editing deadlines, the episode that aired Tuesday did not include the cuts made that day. Instead, it spanned from the days after the Chicago preseason game to the end of preseason Week 3 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Bills wide receiver K.J. Hamler tries to get the ball inside the pylon as he dives for the end zone during their preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. Peter Joneleit, Associated Press
Episode 4 starts with coach Sean McDermott’s frustrations as the offense can’t get going.
“We can’t even snap the ball,” McDermott said, before having the offense run to the end zone and back.
There’s not much room for mistakes.
“For players fighting for a spot on the roster, this is the most fraught week of camp,” narrator Liev Schreiber says.
In sit-down interviews, McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane talk about how hard this week is for players, as they whittle down the roster.
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In behind-the-scenes meetings, the wide receivers and cornerbacks get corrections from their respective coaches.
The show transitions from film, to performance analyst Chris Hess helping the quarterbacks perfect their throwing motions.
Hess says he’s able to see quarterback Josh Allen progress to “an alien level” of throwing. Hess also praises Allen’s ability to make corrections so quickly.
“That’s not normal,” Hess says.
Over the years, Hess says he’s seen Allen go from chucking to throwing.
“And now he’s evolving into a passer,” Hess says.
An extended scene then shows the quarterbacks in their meeting room with Hess before moving outside and explaining the battle for backup quarterback.
“Then there’s the other part of the passing equation: the receiving corps,” Schreiber says.
Wide receiver K.J. Hamler is once again in the spotlight, as “Hard Knocks” points out he doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot.
Hamler is hard on himself, but he has good perspective. He shares a story of having terrible chest pain in 2023 and driving himself to the hospital.
“I thought it was my last day,” Hamler said.
He got the medicine he needed, treating his pericarditis. Now, he’s back competing.
Hamler is optimistic; he talks to himself on the field telling himself he’s there for a reason.
“You’re still here, boy,” he says to himself.
From there, the show goes to linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo, who at that point had just been with the team for 13 days.
Ciarlo is staying in a hotel about 20 minutes away, but he’ll be at the facility until midnight sometimes. The extra time is helping; Ciarlo was thrown into playing nickel without much warning against the Bears.
He explains that to his dad in a FaceTime call with his “best friend.” Ciarlo and his dad talk while the linebacker sits in the facility, his dad giving plenty of encouragement.
The show then follows tight end Zach Davidson, first with him biking out in the woods. He bikes nearly every day, he says. A clip from high school of Davidson punting previews what’s to come later.
An interlude of a team spelling bee tees up a segment on running back Frank Gore Jr.
Buffalo Bills 2025 roster tracker: Maxwell Hairston starts the season on injured reserve as initial 53-man roster is set
The deadline for all 32 NFL teams to trim their active roster to 53 players is 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Buffalo News will track those reported cuts all day here.
The episode also follows defensive tackle Casey Rogers helping get dogs adopted.
Then, it’s time to get ready for the third preseason game. A scene from Beane’s office gives insight on the general manager and his front office staff going through what they’ve seen out of the team and what they’re still looking for.
The team takes the stadium for their last practice of camp. A fight breaks out between offense and defense highlights the scene. Cornerback Tre’Davious White’s injury during that practice is not mentioned.
Instead, it’s on to Tampa. In a meeting room, McDermott picks the minds of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady – NBA legends who are also limited partners of the Bills.
“The best teams I’ve been on, everybody understood their roles,” Carter tells McDermott.
In a team meeting back with the whole group, McDermott tells the Bills that they’re more than just football players.
“Never, ever, ever forget that,” McDermott tells them. “…You’ve got bright futures, you’re winners.”
At the game, there’s a tender pregame moment between Ciarlo and his family, as the linebacker quips it was his parents’ first time on a flight in 30 years to come watch him play.
Then, it’s Shane Buechele time. The fourth-string quarterback was set to play the entire game against Tampa Bay, and so he did. It’s on Buechele to keep the team on the field, as Davidson is punting that night, with Brad Robbins fighting an illness.
“What a f---king punt, Zach!” Allen says of Davidson’s 62-yard punt.
Ciarlo gets some more shine in the second half of the game, with his parents mic’ed up in the stands. They celebrate as Ciarlo recovers a fumble.
“I feel like I learned a lot today,” Ciarlo tells his family at the end of the game.
The episode ends with “Faith” by Skip Marley playing, as Schreiber teases the upcoming cuts to be made.
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