PITTSFORD, New York — The Bills have struggled in recent years to retain all of the younger players who show promise in the summer because of a high level of roster carryover from one season to the next. Many of their players felt compelled to find a means to maintain their claim status when placed on waivers during the final cuts process as a result. These players found homes in the NFL elsewhere because the odds were just stacked against them.
However, things are a little different with the 2024 roster. Young players now get greater opportunities because of the team’s higher offseason turnover rate. Tyrell Shavers, a second-year wide receiver, is the only player who has really taken advantage of that during the seven days of training camp at St. John Fisher University.
Shavers, who turns 25 in mid-August, was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State in April 2023, and spent the entire previous season on their practice squad. Nevertheless, he was essentially an afterthought on the 53-man roster when he reported to camp, even with that year under his belt.
After just a few days, Shavers’ role shifted from working with the group late into the preseason games to spending a lot of time during team drills with franchise quarterback Josh Allen. Shavers has lined up at all three receiver spots and, should he stay on the team, has the kind of special teams talent to be a key player in that phase.
“Very impressed,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said this week about Shavers. “Even if you go back to his rookie season. He’s so consistent, even when he wasn’t playing, with his approach. One of the first players in the building. One of the last to leave. He knows what we’re doing, offensively, systematically.”
Shavers has continued to work with Allen every day since his initial surge, and the Bills are very deliberate about who gets to participate in team drills and throw repetitions with him throughout practice.
“He does the little things the right way. He’s always working,” Allen said Thursday. “He’s catching balls after practice on the jugs. He’s studying. He’s asking the right questions to the quarterbacks. And at the end of the day, he’s making plays on the football field, which you love to see from your guys.”
Shavers has seized every opportunity with the receiver position as vacant as it has been this summer. He may be more assured of a spot on the 53-man roster if this pattern persists than some of the other more well-known players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chase Claypool, KJ Hamler, and Justin Shorter, the fifth-round pick in 2023.
“He’s made the most of his opportunity so far during camp,” Allen said about Shavers. “He’s one of those guys that you find yourself rooting for just because of how he approaches the game and how he approaches practice.”
Shavers still has a few weeks to maintain his current position, but as cuts are due on Tuesday, August 27, he appears to be moving toward the right side of the bubble.
Before returning to Buffalo for their yearly session inside Highmark Stadium, the Bills held one additional practice in Pittsford.
Here’s what stood out from Day 7 of training camp.
The organization declared that rookie safety Cole Bishop would be out for the week due to a shoulder injury as practice got underway on Thursday. It is a devastating blow to the Bills organization, which probably had high expectations for Bishop to perhaps start the season as the starting quarterback. Bishop was hurt the day before, but McDermott was quite pleased with the 2024 second-round pick’s performance. With Bishop and seasoned player Mike Edwards sidelined indefinitely, Damar Hamlin is the only member of the first-team defense receiving all of the playing time next to starting safety Taylor Rapp. The Bills have noted since the beginning of camp that Hamlin seems eager for the chance, even prior to the two injuries to his main rivals. Hamlin
However, we also must remember a comparable circumstance from only a year ago. As the Bills were finishing up camp at St. John Fisher University, Tyrel Dodson and Terrel Bernard were the only contenders left for the starting middle linebacker position. Dodson had a big advantage in winning the position because Bernard’s hamstring injury, which occurred on August 10, usually takes time to heal. However, the remainder of the summer passed, and even with little lead-in time before the regular season began, the Bills promptly benched the inexperienced Bernard after his full comeback.
This year’s situation is a little different since, unlike Bishop and Edwards, Bernard at least got a complete season of experience playing defensive end for the Bills before vying for a starting position. If the previous season taught us anything, though, it is that the Bills are still willing to start a player who has not been practicing if the healthy player does not win the starting position outright. The possibility of the team signing a veteran to start, whether it is Micah Hyde or another player, still looms large. In either case, over the coming weeks, Hamlin will have to prove it.
Matt Milano getting ever closer to pre-injury form
Star linebacker Matt Milano has participated fully in training camp activities for the majority of the first seven days. Milano, who was recuperating from a season-ending injury, practiced in six sessions and took just one vet rest day on July 29. And more often than not, you can see how Milano improves the Bills defense every day. Milano’s reflexes and play-sensing abilities keep him in situations to halt the offensive dead in its tracks, even when some of his teammates are tricked, even though it will take some time for the speed to fully return.
During a misdirection play during Thursday’s team drills, Milano detected the play’s progression and met the pass catcher in the backfield when no one else was present. The first-team offense quickly went to a three-and-out when it resulted in a five-yard loss on a first-and-10. Milano does not let much get by him, and if he combines it with his pre-injury athleticism, there are plenty of reasons to think he can continue to be the defensive end player for the Bills that he was before.
Chase Claypool remains sidelined while WRs jockey for position
The door is ajar for all other contenders vying for the fifth and sixth wide receiver spots, as Shavers is establishing himself in camp. Valdes-Scantling spent the previous two days working a little more with Allen and the first-team offense after being moved to the second-team offense a few practices ago. In addition, Hamler covered for Allen for a few team drill repetitions. However, Chase Claypool is not involved in any of this because he missed his third consecutive session due to a toe ailment. Although Claypool has been practicing with Allen quite regularly, every day he misses the field reduces whatever edge he may have had to guarantee a position. Now, the highest
Even as a late-round draft pick, a young player without a high investment level typically needs to demonstrate multi-job competency in order to make the squad outright. As training has advanced, the Bills are undoubtedly attempting to see whether 2024 sixth-round selection Daequan Hardy can provide them with several positions to warrant his roster spot. Throughout camp, Hardy has mostly served as a nickel corner, but on Thursday, he played a different role. In an attempt to test him, the team lined him up as a second-unit boundary cornerback. He is not a traditional match for that position at 5 feet 9 inches, 179 pounds, and with a shorter arm length of 30 inches, but the more the team understands he can do, the better.
Alec Anderson returns, but not in full capacity
The team received good news shortly after practice on Tuesday, following a terrifying incident in which backup offensive lineman Alec Anderson was taken to a nearby hospital in an ambulance due to a heat-related ailment. Anderson made quick progress, had a positive attitude, and communicated well with the team. He returned to school in time for a late-day walk-through after being discharged from the hospital that same day. Even more impressively, on Thursday, Anderson returned to the practice field in full pads for the first time since that event. Although the club decided to keep Anderson in limited practice, he participated in some positional drills. He did not take part in team exercises during the day because the squad is probably taking it easy on him.
Day 7 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 (undisclosed) — 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 (undisclosed) — Left practice early on August 1.
OL Mike Edwards (concussion protocol) — Returned to practice in full Thursday and participated in team drills, which likely removes him from the injury report moving forward.
(Top photo of Tyrell Shavers: Shawn Dowd / USA Today)
