DETROIT — Buffalo Bills quarterback Jake Fromm took a snap with an opponent team on the other side of the line of scrimmage for the first time in his brief NFL career.
In Buffalo’s 16-15 triumph over the Detroit Lions on Friday, the 2020 fifth-round pick led a 74-yard touchdown drive that finished with Tyler Bass’ game-winning field goal.
During that last drive, Fromm completed 8-of-13 passes for 65 yards, including a 42-yard completion to rookie Marquez Stevenson on 4th-and-10.
With the game on the line, the Georgia product didn’t shrink after spending his rookie season as the Bills’ backup quarterback.
“He’s been there before,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said, referring to Fromm’s time at Georgia.
“And he simply doesn’t seem fazed in these scenarios,” he said. Buffalo drafted him 167th overall in 2020, and he spent training camp doing regular quarterback duties before making the final 53-man roster behind Josh Allen and Matt Barkley.
From then, his daily routine was anything but ordinary; the Bills designated Fromm as their emergency quarterback, which meant he practiced separately from the rest of the team and stayed socially isolated from his colleagues at their Orchard Park facility.
“That was certainly a fascinating five to six months for me.”
“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Fromm explained.
“It was unquestionably difficult and lonely at times, but I kept returning to my faith and my family.”
And knowing I’d be seeing them soon and that, perhaps, it’d all be worth it one day
“I wanted to be prepared, so I came to work every day and said, ‘Hey, let’s go, be prepared.'”
“This is where I’m at, this is where my feet are at, let’s go give it 100% and give it my all,” Fromm said, crediting the Bills’ practices at Highmark Stadium for helping him acclimatize to the NFL’s speed of play.
His little involvement left an impression on his teammates, particularly quarterback Davis Webb, who praised Fromm’s ability to shake off a pair of sacks earlier in the game and rebound when it meant the most.
“It was exciting to see Jake get in there and send that deep ball to Speedy, especially because it was both of their first games in the NFL,” Webb said.
“A couple of plays aren’t always going to go your way.”
I wouldn’t put that on Jake for the first couple of drives; there are a lot of factors to consider.
But I’ll put Jake on because he came through for us.” The Bills play the Bears in their second preseason game next week in Chicago.
