Bills CB Rasul Douglas looking forward to second season in Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mandatory minicamp was the first time we saw Rasul Douglas on the Buffalo Bills practice field since the end of last season.

The defensive back was not in Orchard Park for the voluntary portion of the offseason, a decision he explained the reasoning behind at minicamp.

“If you know athletes and like the mindset you have to be in during the season, you can’t be there all the time, so you have to take a break,” Douglas said.

“We miss so much funerals, birthdays, events of all types. Like, we’re all human, so sometimes I feel like we just need to step back, take a deep breath, and just be grateful for what God has blessed you with, the family you’re with, and just move on from time with them. Also, to have a healthy and happy mind.

RELATED: Bernard excited about what Milan partnership can produce for Bills defense

For Douglas, the time away from the facility was an important opportunity to recharge before the season started, and a decision he communicated to the Bills staff.

“Mandatory (minicamp), you come back, take the month they give you for July, and then once you come back, you’re locked and loaded on ‘I’m here until I’m not here anymore,’” Douglas said. . “That’s exactly my mindset and I kind of discussed it with the coaches, I even explained it to them last year in the exit meeting. Then this year I explained to them how I was going to do it, to make sure I was ready to come back.

With the 29-year-old returning to the field for minicamp, these were his first offseason workouts as Buffalo Bill, after joining the team midway through last year following a Green Bay trade.

He made an immediate impact, with four interceptions in nine games.

“I’m trying to do better than what I did last year, and more games definitely help that,” Douglas said.

His production was all the more impressive given that he didn’t have a complete command of defense when he was on the court.

RELATED: Bills Trend, Practice on Last Day of Minicamp

“Low-key, last year I just went in and listened to everything (Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer) were saying,” Douglas said. “If I’m honest, if they looked at me and told me I could jump something, I did it.”

Understanding the defense is therefore naturally a major goal this offseason.

“Just learning, actually learning the playbook and not just what we were doing for that game plan,” Douglas said. “I didn’t know what the others were doing, I just know (Poyer) told me I had this person, so I was keeping that person, so now I’m kind of learning what the linebackers do. What does the D line do, where I’m going to get my help from.

Douglas is in a contract year. He says it’s something he doesn’t worry about.

But with an offseason of recharging and learning the Bills’ defense, he has a personal goal in mind for this season.

“I think every great athlete, or one who wants to become great, has their own goals,” Douglas said. “Then you also have team goals, but actually like a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro… so I’m looking forward to that.”