Bills rookies Coleman, Davis and Carter team up to make a youthful impact on Buffalo's 5-2 start

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Running back Ray Davis grew up in the foster system, bouncing from one end of the country to the other before finding a home in New Jersey.

Defensive tackle DeWayne Carter comes from a family with a long line of football players, but wasn’t allowed to play the sport until sixth grade. And receiver Keon Coleman is the most athletic of them all, being a two-sport athlete at Michigan State before enjoying a breakout season as a junior last year after transferring to Florida State.

However varied their backgrounds, what the three members of Buffalo’s rookie draft class share is having made an impact in helping the AFC East-leading Bills get off to a 5-2 start in preparing to play at Seattle (4-3) on Sunday.

“We have a special group,” Davis said Wednesday, making sure to include safety Cole Bishop, a second-round pick, who has played a limited role after missing most of training camp with a shoulder injury.

“I think that’s the fun part about watching DC, Keon, Cole and myself is when you get thrown in the fire, how do you necessarily react?” he added. “Do you shy way or do you embrace it?. And I think we’ve really embraced the roles that we have.”

The Bills had no choice but to lean on their youngsters this year. Aging players and the salary cap finally caught up to Buffalo, with an offseason payroll purge leading to the departure of six of eight returning captains.

“Proud man. Rookie class is involved making plays,” Coleman said. “DeWayne is out there hitting people, and Ray is out there trucking people. We're just doing our job. We having fun.”

As for Coleman, selected with the first pick of the second round, he has jumped to third among NFL rookies with a Bills-leading 326 yards receiving after a four-catch, 125-yard outing in a 34-10 win over Tennessee on Sunday.

Carter, a third-round pick out of Duke, already has two starts filling in for Ed Oliver, and made a game-turning play against the Titans. With Buffalo trailing 10-7 to open the third quarter, Carter burst through the left side of the Titans line and stuffed Tony Pollard for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-2, leading to the Bills scoring the go-ahead touchdown six plays later.

“Those are just the type of plays you see him making in practice,” Oliver said of Carter, who now has three tackles for a loss and batted down an Aaron Rodgers pass attempt in a 23-20 win over the Jets. “I don’t know if that’s like a knack of his, but super-timely plays, super-important plays.”

From Ohio, Carter’s father played for the Buckeyes, his uncle Raymond Carter played at Notre Dame, and two other uncles played at Western Kentucky and Youngstown State. DeWayne Carter Sr., initially refused to allow his son to play football until he got to high school, before his mother intervened in allowing him to play earlier.

As for Davis, a fourth-round pick out of Kentucky, his opportunity came against the Jets at the Meadowlands, with members of his extended family and friends in attendance. Filling in for injured starter James Cook, Davis finished with 97 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving in becoming Buffalo’s first rookie to lead the team in both categories since Ronnie Harmon in 1986.

“It was a full-circle moment for me, because my career really did start in the New York-New Jersey area,” said Davis, noting he got to meet up with one of his teachers after the game. “It was cool for him to see that and get the experience watching me as a young sophomore baling in high school to now being in the NFL. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

Born in San Francisco with 14 siblings, Davis bounced from home to home while his father and mother spent several stretches in jail. Davis was placed in foster care at 8, and at one point lived out of a homeless shelter. Davis was 16 when he finally landed at Trinity-Pawling prep school in New York, thanks to the help of numerous people, including Lora Banks and her husband Greg Ley, whom he still considers his “guardians.”

Davis went on to play at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt, where he graduated with a communications degree. He then closed his college career at Kentucky, where he scored a school record 21 touchdowns (14 rushing, seven receiving) last year.

Davis ranks second on the Bills with 213 yards rushing and two scores, along with 79 yards receiving.

Coleman recalled being wowed watching Davis play at Kentucky.

“It’s been the same thing here,” the receiver said. “Whatever task it is, he has some ambition behind him.”

Coach Sean McDermott is struck by Davis’ upbringing, crediting his past for the person and player he’s become.

“When you grow up with adversity, those players seem to somewhat have a leg up because they’ve had to work for things and have had to claw and scratch every day,” McDermott said. “He’s just wired that way. I mean, probably because of his background, he’s been a winner.”

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Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis, right, runs against New York Jets safety Tony Adams, left, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) scores on a 49-yard touchdown reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) reacts after converting a first down next to New York Jets defensive tackle Leki Fotu, right, and cornerback Brandin Echols, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The catastrophic flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs, Gov. Roy Cooper's administration said Wednesday.

The state budget office generated the preliminary figure for direct or indirect damages and potential investments to prevent similar destruction in future storms.

Cooper told reporters the state's previous record for storm damage was $17 billion from Hurricane Florence, which struck eastern North Carolina in 2018.

“It is no exaggeration to describe Helene as the deadliest and most damaging storm ever to hit North Carolina," Cooper said while unveiling his request to the General Assembly for $3.9 billion to help pay for repairs and revitalization. He called it a “down payment on western North Carolina's future.”

North Carolina state officials have reported 96 deaths from Helene, which brought historic levels of rain and flooding to the mountains in late September.

The storm and its aftermath caused 1,400 landslides and damaged over 160 water and sewer systems, at least 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) of roads, more than 1,000 bridges and culverts and an estimated 126,000 homes, the budget office said. Some 220,000 households are expected to apply for federal assistance.

“This jaw-dropping damage figure reminds us that we are very much on the front end of this recovery effort,” the Democratic governor said.

The report with Cooper's spending request was released the day before the Republican-controlled legislature planned to meet for a one-day session to advance additional Helene recovery legislation.

Lawmakers unanimously approved two weeks ago a $273 million package that also included language to provide flexibility to state agencies, displaced residents and officials running elections in 25 western counties. Thirty-nine of the state's 100 counties are within the federally declared disaster area.

State government coffers include several billon dollars that can be accessed for future recovery spending. Almost $4.5 billion is in the state's savings reserve alone.

Legislative leaders had not disclosed as of late Wednesday afternoon specifics about what they would attempt to pass Thursday. Lawmakers were still reviewing Cooper’s request that they received Tuesday, according to Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger. Any legislation is unlikely to be the full package presented by Cooper and State Budget Director Kristin Walker. After Thursday, legislators are expected to return to Raleigh on Nov. 19.

The damage report projects $48.8 billion in direct or indirect damages, along with $4.8 billion of anticipated mitigation expenses. The budget office estimates the federal government will cover $13.6 billion, with private and other sources covering $6.3 billion.

Most of the losses won't ever be recovered, Walker said.

The private-source share of expenses likely will be relatively low because so few homeowners and farmers in the disaster areas had flood or crop insurance. Close to 93% of homes with flood damage verified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency lacked flood insurance, the report said.

Cooper's request includes $475 million for a two-phase recovery program for businesses in the hardest-hit areas, with grants from $1,500 to $50,000 in the first phase and up to $75,000 in the second phase.

Other highlights include $289 million in matching funds to access federal money to repair utilities and debris removal; $225 million for grants to farmers for uninsured losses; and $100 million for public school and community college capital needs.

Cooper also wants $325 million to help homeowners and renters with rebuilding and minor repairs immediately while a larger program dependent on federal funds is implemented. It took nearly two years for Washington to send community development block grant funding for home repairs after Florence and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the report said.

Wednesday's request also seeks $175 million to cover remaining Matthew and Florence home repairs being made through the block grant program. Cooper's administration attributes the shortfall to rising construction costs, labor shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic and a congressional appropriation that was roughly half of what the state requested.

The fiscal gap prompted Berger and another leading Senate Republican to put out a news release Wednesday criticizing the $175 million request and its timing, calling them yet another sign of poor management by the state Office of Recovery and Resiliency. The senators said an oversight committee would investigate the matter next month.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unveils a report about damages caused by Hurricane Helene and his $3.9 billion request to the General Assembly for recovery initiatives during a press conference at the Albemarle Building in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)