PITTSFORD, New York — Given how much roster churn and refreshing has occurred during the summer, 2024 is a little different for the Bills—a team that has seen great success with essentially the same set of players. But since franchise quarterback Josh Allen joined the league, one thing has always the same: critics.
In the latest, an anonymous NFL executive was quoted by ESPN in a report, referring to Allen as “one of the more overrated players in the NFL.” Though he has rarely done so in public, Bills general manager Brandon Beane firmly defended his quarterback on Wednesday. In the past, Beane has blocked out things like that.
“There’s idiots everywhere,” Beane said when asked why he thought someone would say that about Allen. “These things that come out there, I know that people love the rankings of whoever, but when you don’t put your name to it and you make comments like that, like, who is this executive? Executive is a loose term. I was probably referred to as an executive well before I should have been. And so I just say, if you’re not going to put your name on it, we really shouldn’t validate it.”
For the larger part of the first three minutes, Beane fielded questions and addressed them specifically with this one instance of Allen being criticized.
“For what he’s done for this team, for what he’s done in this league and his own accomplishments, to say he’s overrated and to point out a flaw here or there is… it’s ignorant,” Beane said with a thud.
What was the most notable thing on the field on Day 1 other from the general manager defending his franchise quarterback? From the team’s first day of camp, the following observations were made.
WRs working in with Allen on Day 1
The wide receiver corps is, understandably, one of the more interesting things to watch coming into summer camp. Since Allen emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks, the receiver depth chart has never been more open, and over the course of the next month, guys will gain positions in the offense. During practice, the Bills also take great care with the receiver reps they assign. It has been very clear over the years that they will not tolerate a single team drill rep in which Allen throws to a player they do not intend to use in the regular season. As camp goes on, opportunities are won via both good performance and injury, but it is always helpful to know where
Five receivers in all worked in with Allen during the morning on Day 1. The members of the group were Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, in that order. Coleman primarily operated out of his X-receiver position, whereas Shakir primarily operated out of the slot. After his spring injury, Shakir’s decision to practice in full on Day 1 was encouraging because it means he will probably play a pretty constant role on game days. However, with the other three, there was some role-switching, most surprisingly with Hollins, who was supposed to be an X-receiver only. Following the workout, Allen was gushing over Hollins’ work ethic and appearance in the locker room, saying of
Players that were on the outside looking in during that period with Allen included Andy Isabella, KJ Hamler, Chase Claypool, and Justin Shorter. Although Claypool had a significant limp on his right leg after practice and had fallen awkwardly during a team drill near the conclusion of the session, it was encouraging to see him jogging and playing a playful catch with Shakir. The next group of receivers, which includes Tyrell Shavers, a second-year player, will need to be evaluated by the Bills to see who can push for playing time with Allen and a position on the roster by the conclusion of the summer.
Allen looks sharp on his first day back
Every practice day has a focal point that represents the squad’s top priorities for team drills; on the first day, red zone work dominated. The team’s goal was probably to test the new receiver room’s tighter space near the end zone and to see if the defensive secondary, which was relatively new, would be able to cover every location in a condensed area. On the first day, it was abundantly evident that the offense had the defense beat. Allen was accurate, productive, and throughout the day, he found several receivers on a number of passes for short-yard touchdowns. He nearly had another on a toe-tap opportunity close to the sidelines after hitting Coleman for one. They
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— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) July 24, 2024
tense conclusion In addition to his strong offensive play, Dalton Kincaid had a scoring play where the defense lost him just past the goal line. Every year, the offense has play catch-up as the days accumulate since the defense usually starts training camp ahead of schedule. But even from the very beginning of camp, Allen was clearly on top of his game.
Kincaid looks great, but Knox is still a factor
Due to Kincaid’s approach, talent, and on-field rapport with Allen, he has gained a lot of momentum and is now widely regarded as a potential breakthrough candidate in his second season. On his first day, Kincaid performed admirably as well, demonstrating that the rapport he and Allen had from their offseason sessions in 2023 to the previous season was not a fluke. He has a good chance of becoming one of their top targets by 2024. But based on how things appeared on the first day of camp, those hoping that Kincaid would replace Dawson Knox in the starting lineup this season and reduce the veteran tight end to a backup position would be disappointed.
Allen received a lot of work from both Kincaid and Knox during the first practice. Both players appeared to have worked in with Mitchell Trubisky, the backup quarterback, as best as I could tell. Additionally, practice reps with Allen are very purposeful, as we made clear with the receivers. Therefore, while it is reasonable to think Kincaid can improve on his really impressive rookie season output in 2024, it is crucial to remember that following Knox’s return from injured reserve last year, his role returned to that of the early season. Kincaid’s snap share during their last six games, including the playoffs, was only 53.6 percent. He was even surpassed by Knox in two of those contests. Although Kincaid had two very successful games, his average production during the six games was 3.3 catches for
A slight surprise at safety
Their starting tandem was in a secure position outside of the receiver group, which made for an intriguing pairing as camp got underway. Given his position as the team’s third safety in 2023, it was predicted that Taylor Rapp would start just one game. However, Damar Hamlin, a fourth-year player who had mostly played as a healthy scratch in 2023, was next to him on the first-team defense for the majority of the session. On the second team, Hamlin outperformed rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop as well as seasoned player Mike Edwards. Beane stated that Hamlin returned eager to secure a full-time position, suggesting that the first-day employment was probably a reward for his spring performance. The Bills frequently switch around
Bishop appears to have his work cut out for him, as he was anticipated to contend for the starting position considering his draft status. One of the three positions that young players find hardest to understand is safety, according to coach Sean McDermott. Subsequently, in response to a question on Bishop, McDermott stated that players must maintain physical fitness.
“He’s got to come out and get off to a good start,” McDermott said. “We mentioned when we left to the whole team of being in the best shape that you’ve ever been in, because that’s really the start. If you don’t come into camp in shape, things happen, you’re not available, then you can’t do anything.”
Bishop did practice, but when determining early camp repetitions, it is important to consider the head coach’s response. One play prior to the snap, McDermott also halted play in order to engage Bishop in a lengthy, 15–25 second talk. It is possible that McDermott used this as a teaching moment. As a result, Bishop seems to be falling behind in his search for an entry-level position while picking things up on the job.
One of the most often asked topics regarding the 2024 season is if veteran starter Micah Hyde of the Buffalo Bills will play one more season, given the uncertainty surrounding the starting safety position. During the locker room purge, Hyde was openly considering retiring, but nothing has come to fruition. In response to a question on Wednesday, Beane stated that nothing had really changed since they were with Hyde in the spring. However, he did note that the safety is “keeping ready” in case football is played again. Being a fierce competitor, Hyde makes snap decisions, and as football season approaches, you can not help but wonder if he wants to play one more year. He might always choose to forego the common practice among seasoned free agents of
Matt Milano gets nearly a full workload on Day 1
One significant advancement occurred this spring when the team’s offseason practices came to an end: star linebacker Matt Milano returned to practice for the first time since suffering a season-ending leg injury early in 2023. Milano went one step further at the team’s first practice in Pittsford, sharing almost all of the first-team reps with Terrel Bernard during team drills. The Bills stated that they will devise a strategy to ensure that Milano does not take on too much too fast and that sessions or even specific reps may be skipped. However, at this stage of training, Milano is well ahead of athletes like Von Miller in 2023 or Tre’Davious White in 2022. If there are no obstacles, the Bills
(Top photo of Josh Allen: Shawn Dowd / USA Today)
