Buffalo Bills Training Camp: What We Learned From Days 1-3

After three straight days of work to open training camp, the Bills have reached their first day off of the summer. The team will take Saturday off to rest, and when it returns for three more straight days, fully padded practices will likely begin during one of the sessions.

Many coaches and players are looking forward to the move to what many have called real football, where the physicality intensifies and players can make a lasting impression on key decision-makers when it comes to playing time and roster spots.

But the preparation period is always a great time for players to put themselves in a good position to get more reps when the protections are put on. What were the main takeaways from the start of camp?

Here are several things we’ve learned as the Bills’ 2024 campaign gets into full swing.

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Josh Allen gets off to a good start with a tough day three

Each day of practice is dedicated to a specific element that the offense is looking to work on. Day one was a red zone-heavy day. Day two was a more generalized approach to distance and downs. In these first two days, Josh Allen has picked up right where he left off at the end of last season. He was sharp in his reads and accuracy and looked comfortable throwing in the pocket and on the move. While these first two days weren’t marked by any deep TD catches in team drills, the Bills’ first-team offense has been impressive in its overall consistency in moving the ball through the air.

But on Friday, Day 3, Allen and his offense experienced their first real frustration. There were some misfires, possibly line crossovers with receivers, and three interceptions over a span of four plays. Some of the early misfires can be explained by the fact that the team is primarily focused on third-down situations, where the defense knows a pass is likely coming their way. The flurry of interceptions, however, came late in practice, as the Bills were on their true drives of camp. In total, Allen took three drives and completed just one pass, all three of which ended in an interception. The first was a deep arm punt on third down caught by safety Taylor Rapp. The second likely wouldn’t have counted if there had been a referee in the area, as cornerback Christian Benford clearly committed defensive interference before causing the interception. The third was a low ball that landed in the arms of cornerback Kaiir Elam, and he returned it for a touchdown. Rather than attempt a fourth drive, the Bills ended the first-team offense’s drive.

With a whole new group of receivers, days like Friday are going to happen, especially to see how the offense performed over the first two days. Allen has had a history of coming back with a big workout after bad days like that in the past, especially with a day off in between to reflect, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he reasserts the offense on Sunday.

Despite the strong offensive play through the first two days, the one consistent truth on defense has been the performance of fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau. According to his defensive end partner, Rousseau has spent time at left defensive end and a bit at right defensive end — much like he did last season. He’s been effective at both, but he took that to another level Friday. Rousseau has consistently won his battles to get into the backfield, made runs on the line, put pressure on Allen and even knocked down two passes at the line to force incompletions. In a one-on-one against Spencer Brown, he read the right tackle’s slight overshoot and spun inside for an easy win. At just 24 years old, Rousseau is once again showing early signs of real growth. The ceiling for the team’s top pass rusher remains pretty high.

Cole Bishop, right (pictured with Ja’Marcus Ingram) had a big day Friday taking reps with the first-team defense. (Shawn Dowd/USA Today)

A daily rotation in security matters

Friday was a big and underrated day for rookie and second-round safety Cole Bishop. Over the first two days, the Bills used a rotation at first-team safety next to presumptive starter Taylor Rapp. Damar Hamlin got the first day, with veteran Mike Edwards getting the second. The Bills used a similar type of rotation at middle linebacker in 2023 to allow all potential answers to get into the flow of a practice. For Bishop, if the rotation had flipped and gone back to Hamlin, it would have signaled that the rookie was a bit late to start the year in the starting lineup.

However, on Friday, that wasn’t the case. Bishop took his place next to Rapp on the first-team defense for most of practice during team drills. Toward the end of some practice periods, the Bills typically like to mix and match defensive personnel. It was no different on Days 1 and 2. But when the first-team defense started trotting out on the field for Day 3, Bishop was among them. Ultimately, in 2023, the middle linebacker rotation was down to two players toward the end of training camp, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they followed a similar approach in 2024 at safety. For example, last year, Day 3 of camp gave Baylon Spector the top unit at middle linebacker, which ended up being his only day he got that opportunity. At least for now, Bishop is firmly in the discussion to start – it just took a few days to see what the Bills were thinking.

In the battle for the final WR spot, keep an eye on Tyrell Shavers

In the Bills’ first few days, eight different receivers have taken snaps with Allen and the first-team offense in team drills. Seven of them are the ones you’d expect — Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins, along with veterans Chase Claypool and K.J. Hamler. But the name that has lingered in multiple ways and could have a real chance to make the team this season is 2023 undrafted free agent Tyrell Shavers. The Bills kept the 6-foot-4, 211-pound Shavers on their practice squad all of last season, and that patience has paid off early.

Shavers has had opportunities with Allen, but more impressively, he has lined up at all three receiver positions at different times, in addition to potentially being a true contributor on multiple special teams units, giving him an edge over many others in the competition. No one else in the competition for the sixth receiver spot can boast such versatility. Shavers also easily outplayed 2023 fifth-round pick Justin Shorter, who has only worked with the second and third units. Shavers was an interesting name coming into camp, especially for a second-year on the practice squad. He’ll need to keep that momentum going when the protections come on, which can sometimes swallow up standout first-time receivers. But to his credit, those first few days were eye-opening and he was quickly considered for the 53-man roster.

Rookie offensive lineman making progress

Bills rookie Tylan Grable, a sixth-round pick, was used noticeably on Day 2, working both left tackle and right tackle with the second unit. And the early signs of promise continued for Grable, who even kicked inside to defend at one point during Friday’s practice. More importantly, the early stages of camp didn’t seem too much for Grable, an athletically gifted 6-foot-6, 305-pounder. He held up well in team drills and, on two occasions, in one-on-one play, he stood out. On his first play, working at right tackle against Von Miller, Grable stopped the future Hall of Fame pass rusher for a one-on-one win. Then, on his next play at left tackle, he quickly swallowed up fifth-round rookie pass rusher Javon Solomon’s attempt. The usual caveat is to hold all opinions firm until protections are put on. But early indicators are promising for Grable, and the Bills are likely eager to see through the end of the summer if that holds true for their late-round pick.

The battle of the bettors begins in a fairly balanced manner

You don’t think I’d leave you without a #Puntapalooza2024 update, do you? For the first two days, the Bills didn’t do a team punting drill. However, on the third day, they opened up their competition between veteran Sam Martin and undrafted rookie Jack Browning. Each punter had seven straight opportunities in the same situations. Martin, who is the favorite to retain the job, was the first to punt. Martin’s punts were up and down, kicking the longest of the two players for 60 yards, but also having the shortest by 35 yards. Browning started off slow, averaging just 41 yards on his first four punts, but he blew his last three punts for over 50 yards. In the end, according to my unofficial stats and not counting return yards, Martin and Browning both averaged exactly 46.9 yards per punt. However, Browning won the hangtime battle, averaging 4.54 seconds – including two individual best punts of 5.06 and 4.94 seconds – with Martin averaging just 4.31 seconds.

Despite a slightly better day for Browning, two things are working against him. First, Martin has $2.3 million in salary cap space that the Bills will have to pay on their salary cap unless they can trade the veteran. Second, Martin, not Browning, was the only punter to hold up on Tyler Bass’ field goal attempts Friday. If the Bills can figure out the first problem, and Browning shows he can be a reliable punter, he could have a chance. Regardless, it was a solid start for the undrafted punter wearing No. 30.

(Top photo by Greg Rousseau: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)