No news was good news for Kentucky Wildcats in Hard Knocks Ep. 4

It was a great week for the Kentucky Wildcats on HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Buffalo Bills in episode four — because no news meant good news.

NFL teams had to cut their rosters down from as many as 90 players in the preseason to 53 on Tuesday, the most difficult day of the offseason when over a thousand dreams are either altered or come to an end entirely. Some let go will be brought back to practice squads while others waived will be quickly snagged by other teams. For others, it’s the end of the road after one too many training camps with little to no traction.

Episode four highlighted those fringe roster players for the Bills ahead of the team’s final preseason game, namely Shane Buechele, Frank Gore Jr., K.J. Hamler, Jimmy Ciarlo, Zach Davidson and Ja’Marcus Ingram. Of that group, only Ingram made the final 53.

As for Kentucky’s three-man group of Ray Davis, Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker, none were prominently featured, because they were all safe. In fact, Davis was included in the good group of playmakers highlighting those who went above and beyond to solidify their status on the team throughout training camp and preseason action.

“Careers are at stake. A couple of great plays, and you might make the team,” narrator Liev Schreiber said as Davis dove to the end zone for the tough score. “A couple of duds, and you could be cut.”

Davis, the 1B complementary back to star James Cook after a rockstar rookie season, is going to be a go-to for Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense in 2025.

As for Hairston, he got the most extended screentime of the bunch, cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae putting the injured newcomer on the spot during a film session. When asked what stood out with veteran Tre’Davious White in a portion of practice, the former Wildcat gave the answer his coach was looking for about being a player-led team.

“Tre is like ten years in, but still be beating himself up after a bad rep because he wants the best for himself,” Hairston said.

“That’s impressive to watch, ain’t it?” Addae responded. “As a younger guy, you need to learn from that. These dudes have been here and have been playing at a high level for a long time. That’s why.”

Hairston, dealing with a knee injury since late July, was placed on injured reserve to open the regular season. That means he’ll miss the first four games of the year, but the door is open for a return right after — excellent news after dealing with an ACL scare that could have knocked him out for the entirety of his rookie campaign. That will not be the case, fortunately.

As for Walker, he was one of the top standouts of the preseason, finishing with a win-rate percentage of 15.3 percent on his overall snaps. In his final performance, he went for a dominant four tackles (two solo), one tackle for loss, 0.5 sacks and one QB hit. Praise was strong ahead of the former Wildcat’s first regular season in the NFL.

Deone Walker (96) playing to his length for a sack while shaded over the Center

Punches & extends on the snap, reads the run fake, then works to keep the Center at a distance and away from his chest before cutting under him with athleticism & hand usage

pic.twitter.com/kNP50C8OCU

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) August 24, 2025

Endzone angle of this play from Deone Walker (96) because why not

This specific type of win is just so encouraging for him. Very much a “big things have small beginnings” moment. No pun intended

pic.twitter.com/Tbb7Myi32G https://t.co/3J0dfviGVw

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) August 24, 2025

Despite his domination, Walker received exactly zero frames of Hard Knocks time in episode four. You selfishly want to see more of him, obviously, but again, it’s a good thing — because he’s on the 53-man roster and expected to make an impact as a rookie with the Bills.

If there was ever an episode for the Kentucky trio to hang around in the background, it was this one.

We’ll see you next week for the Ep. 5 finale to wrap up our Hard Knocks time in Buffalo.