NY’S ORCHARD PARK — The Bills sent the squad back to Buffalo for one night in the middle of their summer program, as has been customary, before sending them back to St. John Fisher University to complete the remaining portion of their training camp away from home. While it has historically been more of a scrimmage, coach Sean McDermott and his staff conducted Friday night’s practice at Highmark Stadium under the lights in the same manner as they did last year: as if it were just another summer practice.
Josh Allen, the quarterback, started the evening in the stadium with a different helmet, as he does every year. When practice started, Allen changed into his usual helmet after trotting around the tunnel wearing a matte black helmet with a red standing buffalo on it. In 2022, Allen wore a red helmet, and in 2023, a blue one.
BIG fans of @JoshAllenQB’s helmet. 🔥#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/0IgrpqxFUc
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 2, 2024
The team’s two-hour workout confirmed some of the trends they had seen throughout their first seven days in Pittsford and also served to unveil certain aspects of the roster. Here’s what we now know about the roster as of the four workouts left until camp returns to Orchard Park.
WR snaps in the regular season could flatten among the top group
The Bills’ new-look wide receiver room is the subject of much conjecture, particularly on how playing time will be distributed once the club begins the regular season. These uncertainties will persist until Week 1 of the season, but based on the players’ performance thus far and their early employment of them, it appears the Bills may use four players in a rotation-heavy fashion. Right now, it appears like the top four are clearly defined: Mack Hollins, rookie Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir.
Although the Bills have traditionally distributed the bulk of their workload among three players, Samuel and Hollins’ versatility may put that in jeopardy. Samuel has demonstrated his versatility to line up in the backfield, in the slot, and at Z receiver. Hollins is able to align at both X and Z. With that flexibility, the Bills can switch up their starting four while playing with 11 players, which may flatten percentages instead of having players with a lot of snap percentage who are out of control. That does not even take into consideration the possibility that the Bills will wish to employ Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, two tight ends, on the same play, which typically requires a receiver to leave the field. It will keep the Bills’ receivers more fresh.
Shakir appears to be the most likely to be on the field out of the four, however this may not be a significant advantage. Throughout practices, the third-year player has mostly lined up as slot receiver, but even if the Bills decide to use 12 players, he could still play in a two-receiver set. Hollins and Coleman are more likely to line up on the boundary, while Samuel might be most suited to line up at Z receiver the majority of the time. However, none of this takes into account who ends up as the fifth receiver, who will probably also see some offensive plays during game days. It seems that the receiver room’s unpredictable nature is intentional in order to see what sticks and possibly pinpoint
Over the last two days, veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has performed admirably after having a rocky start to his debut training camp with the team. The former Packers and Chiefs speedster has shown promise in team drills when working with Allen, despite being limited to just second-team work during one practice. On a second-and-10 play on Friday night, Valdes-Scantling made a huge play by overcoming CB Rasul Douglas in one-on-one coverage over the middle for a 22-yard gain. Most significantly, he has spent a lot more time with Allen since that one practice, which will boost his chances of being included on the 53-man roster this season.
It also does not hurt that Chase Claypool, one of Valdes-Scantling’s main rivals for the position, has a toe ailment that has prevented him from returning to action. The team may feel better about their top six receivers—Valdes-Scantling included at this point—the longer time Claypool misses. Even though Valdes-Scantling still has work to do, he now appears to be ahead of Claypool, KJ Hamler, and Justin Shorter, a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Camp favorite Tyrell Shavers, a multi-purpose receiver and special teams player, is also seeing positive trends in his career. Shavers made easy separation against tight coverage at the line during the practice’s last rep, and he persevered through an underthrown pass to bring the ball in for a score. Shavers is without a doubt among the top five or six receivers of the summer, so the remaining candidates will probably have to beat out Valdes-Scantling or Shavers to secure a position.
Taron Johnson is vital to the Bills’ success this year
In most camps, the talk frequently centers on some of the uncertain scenarios, such as when it is unclear who will make the squad or when a player is making a comeback from an injury. Even more frequently, some of the seasoned starters get lost in the shuffle in favor of those more recent and untested circumstances. This time of year, nickel corner Taron Johnson is one of those players who might not get much attention. But if his summertime performances are any guide, Johnson—clearly one of the team’s best players—could be in store for another outstanding campaign for the Bills.
Johnson never ceases to amaze me with his run fits, coverage placement, and ability to capitalize on turnover situations. The Bills will need Johnson to play at the highest level this season to help relieve some of the strain on their defense, given the amount of turnover they have experienced, particularly at the safety position. Additionally, to a lesser extent, while Matt Milano continues to regain full speed, his skills as a de facto third linebacker might help mask some shortcomings. Once more, Johnson appears to be headed for another huge season, making him one of the guys the Bills can least afford to lose.
Beyond injuries, an overwhelming problem at safety?
The Bills’ biggest uncertainty at safety, even at the start of training camp, was who would start beside Taylor Rapp. That is not even taking into account the performance of the player who is selected for the position once the season starts, and that was before injuries somewhat derailed the competition. Furthermore, there may be some worry regarding Rapp, their lone starter who is locked in. Rapp attempted to make a major play in a part-time role in 2023, but he would find himself out of position more frequently than the Bills had become used to with their veteran starting tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Currently working a full-time job, such inclinations to adopt a negative viewpoint or overpower his
To be determined on a true Ray Davis evaluation
Ray Davis, the rookie running back for the Bills, has been the only one handling backup duties during the last several practices. Because of his reliance on contact and inside rushing, veteran Ty Johnson has lost time with a hamstring issue, making it challenging to predict how Davis would perform in the NFL. That has not happened very often in camp. The only other times the Bills have used tackle attempts live were on a few goal-to-go plays on Friday night, when Davis was stuffed. However, it is difficult to fully assess Davis based on few encounters, which is why the preseason games will be his final test. If he is a charismatic
Youth and inexperience may dominate most of the backup OL
This is good news for Allen and the starting unit because the Bills’ offensive line has not had any starting competitions up for grabs. While it is uncommon and unsustainable in the current NFL, the squad was lucky enough to avoid injuries in 2023 that would have required a starter to miss a game. The extreme possibility is that the Bills will need to start one offensive line backup at some point in 2024, and given the current configuration of their squad, there is a good chance that person will be completely inexperienced. La’El Collins is the lone seasoned veteran who now appears to be a good bet to make the squad, despite the fact that he has a lengthy history of injuries.
One of Ryan Van Demark, Alec Anderson, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, or Tylan Grable will probably step in if Collins is unable to do so. The combined career starts for the group are 0. The experienced Will Clapp, an 11th offensive lineman, might be kept by the Bills, but it would mean taking away from someone else’s spot or possibly a key member of the special teams. Though it is currently unimportant to the Bills, it is one of those subtle details that might easily gain prominence later in the season.
Day 8 injury report
S Mike Edwards (hamstring) — Week-to-week, has not practiced since July 28.
WR Chase Claypool (toe) — Day-to-day, has not practiced since July 28.
RB Ty Johnson (hamstring) — Has not practiced since July 29. He worked off to the side on Thursday.
OL Travis Clayton (shoulder) — Day-to-day, has not practiced since July 29. He worked off to the side on Thursday.
S Cole Bishop (shoulder) — Week-to-week, has not practiced since July 30.
OL La’El Collins (knee) — Day-to-day, has not practiced since August 1.
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio (undisclosed) – Left practice early on August 2.
(Top photo: Shawn Dowd / USA Today)
