Defense notes
- There’s a couple of guys to note that appeared to get a lot of run with the backups on defense. First, AJ Epenesa is out there a lot. He appears in both videos and in a few pictures, one of which he’s facing Dion Dawkins. From this, we have a few nuggets. Of those, the most notable is that Epenesa is all over the place. In that photo with Dawkins, that signals he’s at the right edge. In the videos, specifically the Roberts touchdown, he’s on the other side of the line. Epenesa will likely be a backup to Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, but he’s clearly going to be spelling guys all over the place.
- On the other side of the edge in both videos we see the same player: Darryl Johnson. He was Buffalo’s No. 4 defensive end last season and is certainly on the roster bubble this offseason. Johnson also appears in a photo in which he’s facing off against No. 1 tight end Dawson Knox. Who we don’t see is Trent Murphy in either of these videos or any photo, which could signal he’s with the starting defense instead of the depth guys. That could be a good sign for Murphy’s roster status, but that certainly is only speculation. Are the Bills specifically hiding him…?
- On the inside of the D-line, we have signs of a decent rotation. In both videos, we can spot Vincent Taylor. Then comparing those two videos, we see Justin Zimmer in one while Tanzel Smart is in the other. Smart could be a sneaky player to watch in terms of the 53-man roster as well. He was noted as a standout from Syracuse.com following the scrimmage while he’s also pictured in Allen’s face on another play. At minimal, getting near Allen against the starting offensive line will make one think positively of him.
- At linebacker and cornerback, it’s hard to really take any concrete proof of anything out of the practice session. At corner, the Bills are thin. Brian Allen was signed on Friday to provide depth, but on Thursday, the Bills were without him and also Josh Norman (hamstring). That means We had Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace, Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis. White, Wallace and Johnson are the first teamers without Norman. That leaves Jackson and Lewis as the only guys available to play with the second or third teamers. At linebacker, it’s kind of the same. We notice Vosean Joseph being beat by Allen’s pass to Roberts with Tyler Matakevich also out there. But then Del’Shawn Phillips is spotted near Singletary when he scores in his video, which was the first of the two TD passes from the starters as WROC-TV mentioned Roberts’ score took place on the last drive by the starting offense. Really at linebacker, these jobs are going to be decided on special teams.