The Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills finale feels like the bonus features on a movie. It’s nice to have, but more of an addition to the real story. Episode 5 is the shortest episode of the season, and without a preseason game to provide structure, the HBO and NFL Films series wanders.

Episode 5 reveals fairly quickly some of the people who did not make the Bills’ 53-man roster—but doesn’t spend much time on that process. There’s a story there, with players who have to face the hardest part of camp, and some of whom wind up coming back as part of the team’s practice squad. But Hard Knocks misses the chance to delve into that more, perhaps because the players are away from the team (and thus the cameras). Casey Rogers gets the most screen time, as a New York native who is cut, yet K.J. Hamler appears in one shot before disappearing without a trace.

There are likely logistical reasons for this, or perhaps the NFL Films crew didn’t want to turn a camera on people in their lowest moments. Yet there’s a truly moving human story there, and even a chance for those folks to have some last words or a chance to vent emotionally, the way Rogers is able to. Even a little bit of information about where the cut players might be now, if such is available, would be nice—anything to feel like these players that the viewers invested into aren’t just gone.

Folks get to see familiar faces like Jimmy Ciarlo and Shane Buechele make the Bills’ practice squad, and get a brief glimpse of what that onboarding process is like. It’s unintentionally funny when everyone is reminded to make sure they have the right name on their contracts), and very heartwarming when head coach Sean McDermott takes a moment to recognize the value of the practice squad in a subsequent team meeting. That’s a story, as is the return of two former Bills as part of the practice squad roster.

Other parts of Hard Knocks Episode 5 feel tacked on to fill screen time. Watching Josh Allen do an interview with NFL Films’ Kyle Brandt is nice for the legions of Allen fans, but the content of the interview doesn’t add much to the episode. Likewise, seeing Allen mess with the Bills’ social media team is more entertaining, yet feels like a subplot. Especially considering how many times the social media staff have gotten one over on Allen (a few of which are shown briefly in this episode), there could have been more meat on this proverbial bone.

Then there are the over-credit bloopers, which are surprisingly tame for a team as full of energy as the Buffalo Bills. There are a couple laugh out loud moments, but one can’t help but think there must be even more footage left on the cutting room floor. Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills has been a lot of fun—which is why this feels like such a quiet finale. The season has had so much life and a few unique ideas, but it doesn’t quite know the way to say goodbye.

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills is now streaming on HBO Max. Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO.

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