Bills Captain Sam Franklin Jr. Is Appealing His Suspension After Joining C.J. Gardner-Johnson

A second Bills defensive back is facing a one-game ban from Sunday’s win in Las Vegas, and this one is fighting it. The NFL suspended Sam Franklin Jr. on Wednesday for unsportsmanlike conduct tied to a spitting incident against the Raiders, and the Bills captain is denying the allegation and will appeal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

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Franklin “vehemently denies the allegation,” a league source told WGR’s Sal Capaccio, who shared All-22 angles of the fourth-quarter play involving Franklin and Raiders right tackle DJ Glaze. Capaccio wrote that Franklin “very much denies ever spitting on or towards Glaze.”

What Franklin’s suspension means for the Bills

Franklin joins C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was ejected before halftime and suspended one game Monday for spitting toward Brock Bowers. Gardner-Johnson apologized after his ejection, while Franklin is taking the opposite approach. Joe Brady called Gardner-Johnson’s spitting incident “inexcusable,” per the team’s website. Both suspensions cover the Nov. 1 game against the Ravens, though Franklin’s is pending his appeal.

Franklin’s value starts on special teams, which matters on a team whose defense ranks 28th in points allowed and can’t afford to lose the hidden-yardage battle. He joined Buffalo’s practice squad before the 2025 season, earned a roster spot and played all 17 games last year, mostly in the kicking game, according to Bleacher Report, before teammates voted him a captain this year. Losing him and Gardner-Johnson at once thins a secondary that was already shorthanded.

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Safety depth is the bigger worry. Cole Bishop played all 66 defensive snaps against the Raiders, and Damar Hamlin handled 45 after Gardner-Johnson’s ejection with a 71.2 overall grade, according to PFF. Rookie Jalon Kilgore played 11 snaps at cornerback and made the late third-down stop that forced a punt. At cornerback, Jim Leonhard said Davison Igbinosun has “definitely earned a high majority of the snaps at the corner position,” per the team’s website.

The appeal gives Franklin a path back for Baltimore, and the timing matters. Lamar Jackson has missed two straight games with the ankle injury he suffered Oct. 4 and has been listed as day-to-day, according to the Ravens, and Buffalo won’t want to face him short two defensive backs.

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More on the Buffalo Bills

• NFL Announces Second Punishment Decision for Spitting Incident at Bills-Raiders
• Jim Leonhard’s Defense Has Allowed 29-Plus Points 5 Times, and the Bills’ Bye Must Bring Change
• Should the Bills Sign Marshon Lattimore? Maxwell Hairston’s Struggles Make It Worth a Look
• Bills Have Made James Cook a Bigger Problem for Defenses

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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 3:46 PM.