Tag: buffalo bills training camp

Final Bills 53-man roster projection for 2020

Final 2020 Buffalo Bills roster projection heading into regular season cut-down day.

The Buffalo Bills are a mere hours away from trimming down their roster to 53 players. On Saturday, NFL teams, including the Bills, must have their team down to that number by 4 p.m. Teams entered this year’s training camp with 80 players as opposed to the traditional 90 due to COVID-19.

There were several storylines to come out of this year’s training camp. While some were the types we’re used to, others were new, such as the grapple the team had on reports coming out of training camp. While eyeballs on camp were held back from reporting things over the past few weeks, we haven’t heard much. But media outlets are no longer watching practice, and since they’re not, we’ve started to really see the dust settle a bit on where the team’s final roster could sit.

Using some of the additional info we’re now privy to, let’s put together a final guess at the squad. Here’s our last 53-man roster projection for the Bills as they head toward cut-down day on Saturday:

Bills quarterbacks Josh Allen (17) and Matt Barkley (Gannett photo).

QUARTERBACK (3)

Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Jake Fromm

Cuts: Davis Webb

At this point of the offseason, we’ve seen two factions of reports out of Bills training camp. The first is Davis Webb out-playing rookie Jake Fromm. That could be true, but the Bills also made an investment in Fromm via a fifth-round pick. Albeit it’s a Day 3 pick, but we’ve already seen the lengths Sean McDermott will go to support a problematic Round 5 QB. Nathan Peterman was one, folks.

Because of that past, and the front office’s prior protections of from via his racially-charged text messages which surfaced this offseason… c’mon, the Bills are almost right to the finish line with Fromm so it’s hard to envision them letting him go. He’s not going to stick around on their practice squad, someone will claim him if he’s let go, so we’ll predict stays and Webb goes to the practice squad… perhaps even in a twisted way. Maybe just to protect Fromm, they keep him on the 53 and put Webb on the practice squad. Teams are much less likely to go after Webb. But if Allen gets hurt, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Webb called up from the practice squad to be QB2 behind Barkley.

And in the past the Bills have kept two quarterbacks, but with COVID-19, it’d be very silly to not do everything you can to keep all four guys around.

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How Pilates might be a key to improvements on Bills offense

Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown on his offseason workout regiments.

We’ve all dissected and discussed the elephant in the room when it comes to how and what might help improve the Buffalo Bills on offense in 2020.

Stefon Diggs, of course.

But a bit under the surface, there might be something else that gives the Bills the edge next season.

… and it’s Pilates?

On Wednesday, Bills wide receiver John Brown mentioned some new preparations he took this offseason that might help better his game heading into his second season in Buffalo. While Diggs was added, Brown, Cole Beasley and the rest of the weapons on the Bills offense still are very important. If the rest of the returning group can’t get open and quarterback Josh Allen is just forcing balls into double coverage on Diggs? Yeah, that’s not good.

Brown knew that this offseason, and in order to improve his game, he added the yoga-esque workouts to his offseason regiment.

“I definitely added Pilates to my work, that was something new to me,” Brown said via video conference at Bills training camp. “I think that’s something that’s helped me.”

Specifically, Brown said he did Pilates and other workouts this offseason in order to improve his efforts after the catch. That’s what makes someone an even more explosive playmaker which garners the respect of opposing defenses. If Brown has this impact, that’ll affect the entire Bills offense. Brown breaks off a 50-yard grab in Week 1 against the Jets while they double team Diggs? You can bet the Dolphins, prior to Week 2, will see that on tape.

In taking these extra efforts this offseason, Brown did so in order to help the team as a whole… not just for his own individual stats, he said. Brown mentioned guys in the Bills locker room have to “stop being selfish and focus on winning.”

This isn’t just a mantra Brown has taken, either. In August, Beasley admitted earlier in his career he cared about his stats a little too much while with the Cowboys. Now, that’s changed in Buffalo and by his own admission, for the better.

“We’ve got to know that there’s only one ball and guys have got to be patient and wait for their time to make a play and be ready to make a play,” Beasley said. “We’ve done a good job talking through that and establishing the goal and everybody knows we’re after one thing and that’s just to win.”

A perfect attitude to be found from the Bills’ senior-most wide receivers which could have a massive impact each game.

And if Pilates helped along the way… then that’s great, too.

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Bills injury report: Concerns mount at one position

Buffalo Bills injury report update involves Levi Wallace, Josh Norman, Dane Jackson.

All of a sudden, the Buffalo Bills might have an issue at the cornerback position in terms of health.

Two corners who were previously not missing time who did not practice on Wednesday during the team’s training camp session. Those were incumbent starter Levi Wallace and rookie Dane Jackson. The Bills indicated that Wallace has a hamstring issue, while Jackson’s injury has yet to be disclosed.

In terms of the type of injury, Wallace joins Josh Norman with a hamstring problem. On a bit of a plus side, Norman did practice Wednesday, but only in a limited capacity. Plus, the practice was considered a “light day” without pads.

Norman has missed about a week’s worth of workouts. With the season opener slated for Sept. 13, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott & Co. might have to make a decision on who is starting at the No. 2 cornerback spot between two guys who are dinged up.

“We’ve got to be smart and sharp with our approach there. Josh is a guy that I’ve been around and so I know what he can do, that said, I also know that there’s work to be done, and it’s important that he maximizes those treatment opportunities so he can get back as soon as he can,” McDermott said via video conference.

Along with Norman, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was previously battling a lower back injury which he returned from already, had a limited practice. The other new addition to the injury report was defensive end Mario Addison with a knee injury, but it was described as “soreness” by McDermott.

Here’s the Bills full injury list for Tuesday’s practice, including carryovers from Tuesday’s injury report which have remained the same:

PUP LIST

  • TE Tommy Sweeney (foot)

OUT FOR EXTENDED PERIOD

  • OL Jon Feliciano (chest)

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Bills injury report: Tyler Kroft dodges bullet

Buffalo Bills training camp sees Tyler Kroft removed from injury report.

Oh, brother…

That’s the sentiment that went across the mind of many observers of the Bills on Monday when head coach Sean McDermott explained why tight end Tyler Kroft missed practice.

According to the coach, Kroft missed the session after having his foot stepped on. That’s the exact same thing that happened to Kroft in his first season in Buffalo in 2019. He missed big chunks of the year because of that injury … when it was stepped on in practice.

But evidently, it was more of a stubbed toe, as opposed to a stomp.

On Tuesday, various reports from Bills training camp indicated that Kroft was back out on the field. In that regard, he wasn’t alone, either.

The laundry list of those missing practice on Monday included two guys – wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson – who had illnesses. McDermott said those were not believed to be COVID-19-related, and it appears he was correct, since both returned on Tuesday.

In terms of others returning to practice who were battling physical ailments, we saw offensive lineman Quinton Spain (foot) back out there. Running back Zack Moss no longer had on a red non-contact jersey as well.

Here’s the Bills full injury list for Tuesday’s practice, including carryovers from Monday’s injury report which have remained the same:

PUP LIST

  • TE Tommy Sweeney (foot)

OUT FOR EXTENDED PERIOD

  • OL Jon Feliciano (chest)

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Stefon Diggs beats Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace in training camp

Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs beats Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace during 2020 training camp.

The Bills mostly have the end of their training camp this week behind closed doors. However, we did get a bit of a glimpse of some nice moves on Tuesday by Buffalo’s new No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

During practices, it’s fine for cameras to be on players during one-on-one drills. Diggs was a highlight reel of sorts during this session and two Bills defenders got the blunt of him… Levi Wallace and Tre’Davious White.

With a few cuts, Diggs got by Wallace:

Then White couldn’t keep up with Diggs down the sideline later on:

Worth noting, there’s a big silver lining for everyone here. These guys are all teammates. White and Wallace certainly got taught a lesson from Diggs, one of the NFL’s top targets. But hey… what comes around, goes around… Diggs also took some notes after tipping an interception to Wallace as well:

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A look at the Bills WR position prior to roster cuts

Pro Football Focus has the Bills receiving corps ranked as the fifth best in the NFL, which is a pretty big jump from where the unit was even just a season ago. The Bills are just days away from breaking down their roster to 53 players. Cut-down day …

Pro Football Focus has the Bills receiving corps ranked as the fifth best in the NFL, which is a pretty big jump from where the unit was even just a season ago. The Bills are just days away from breaking down their roster to 53 players. Cut-down day in the league is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has some tough decisions ahead of him.

With a position group built through free agency, trades and the draft, here’s a breakdown of the position, player-by-player:

Duke Williams

Duke Williams caught the Bills attention thanks to a strong showing in the Canadian Football league. He demonstrated big-play potential during the 2019 preseason after signing with Buffalo and is a big target at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, who may work his way into a role on offense.

Entering his second year with the team, the 27-year-old Auburn product had the two biggest catches during camp so far, muscling one in coverage on a pass from quarterback Matt Barkley and making an even more impressive one-handed haul in amidst multiple defenders on a throw from rookie QB Jake Fromm. The biggest problem with Williams is his lack of production on special teams, something several other depth options have.

Isaiah Hodgins

Growing up around the Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald seems to have made an impression on Hodgins. The 6-foot-4 rookie out of Oregon State dubbed the Bills’ ‘biggest draft steal’ by Draft Wire had 86 catches for 1,171 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Beavers. Like Diggs, he’s known for his route running and was described by The Draft Network as having “the most natural hands in the class.” It will be interesting to see if he can make his way into the receiver group in his first year as a Bill, but could another team claim him of Buffalo’s practice squad if he ends up there?

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Bills trade draft pick to Panthers for LB Andre Smith

Buffalo Bills send a 2023 conditional draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for linebacker Andre Smith.

The Buffalo Bills have swung a training camp trade, but it was a deal that went in the opposite direction as expected. The Bills sent a 2023 conditional seven-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for linebacker Andre Smith.

The team announced the move on Monday. With a deep roster, the Bills were expected to send out a roster bubble player or two for in order to acquire additional late selections. Instead, the Bills acquired a new face, but still sending some out is not off the table and still could happen in the coming days.

The Bills likely made the most looking to get ahead in the waiver wire order as NFL teams will be trimming their rosters down in the coming days. Cut down day across the league is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Panthers had Smith on the trade block because they intended to cut him as early as Monday. In trading a seventh rounder three years down the line, the Bills acquire the team a guy who was a seventh-round pick himself in 2018. Over the course of his two pro seasons, Smith has appeared in 19 games.

During the course of last season, Smith played the most special teams snaps of anyone on the Panthers, 315. Expect him to join the Bills as a player who will contribute in that area, if he’s on the team’s fine 53-man roster.

The interesting note in terms of keeping Smith on the roster might be running back Taiwan Jones. The 32-year-old suffered a knee injury in practice and has been sideline the past few days of training camp. Could his injury potentially be more serious than once feared?

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Bills 53-man roster projection following 2nd week of training camp

Buffalo Bills 53-man roster projection for second time in 2020 training camp.

As far as onlookers are considered, Buffalo Bills training camp has come to a close. On Sunday, the team had their final offseason practice which allowed reporters to be in attendance. Now we’re back to regular season standards where there’s… pretty much next to nothing seen.

But behind closed doors for the next few days, the team will still hit the practice field. Many players who are on the roster bubble are still battling for those spots prior to Saturday’s 4 p.m. cut down deadline.

But as our eyes have now exited the Bills’ practice field before we see them slash players off their roster, let’s take another swing at the team’s final roster. Here’s a 53-man roster projection for the Bills after that first week of practice:

Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News via AP, Pool)

QUARTERBACK (3)

Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Jake Fromm

Cuts: Davis Webb

Over the past few roster projections we’ve released… we haven’t seen much movement in the slightest at the quarterback position. Those circumstances will remain the same once again (sorry).

Under a normal offseason, this move could have gone very differently. Earlier this offseason the Bills were in a position to potentially keep two quarterbacks… and in two different scenarios. Davis Webb was probably always going to be cut. Then there’s two other situations where one can envision Matt Barkley being cut and the other where Jake Fromm is released.

In terms of Barkley, he’s no longer really a “veteran” mentor to Allen, games played wise. Allen has 27 starts to Barkley’s seven. Cutting Barkley could also save the Bills $1.5M against the salary cap. But with COVID-19’s entrance into the offseason, this idea exited. There’s no way the Bills could run with Fromm as their backup when there’s no preseason games under his belt… aka having a No. 2 without any experience, period. But coronavirus also should make the Bills think twice about a strategy they’ve done the past few seasons: Keeping only two quarterbacks.

The 2018 season was one which saw the Bills start four quarterbacks. That year also didn’t involve a pandemic. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott should refrain from getting cute here and trying to sneak Fromm on their practice squad. Just keep three, Bills, especially since you stuck by Fromm after his racially-charged texts from his past surfaced.

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Bills injury update: List grows but Stefon Diggs back at practice

Buffalo Bills injury report sees wide receiver Stefon Diggs return to practice.

Another day of movement in both directions for the Buffalo Bills’ injury report on Monday… but a huge bump in the arrow up category in terms of one player.

After missing a few days of practice, wide receiver Stefon Diggs returned to the field. He first missed the team’s scrimmage late last week then sat out again on Sunday. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott previously indicated that Diggs had some lower back “soreness” keeping him sidelined.

But on Monday, Diggs returned to practice. He was spotted during warmups as well:

Aside from Diggs, there was plenty of moment in the opposite direction, as referenced. Wide receiver John Brown and Quinton Jefferson are both out due to illness, however, McDermott said as of now, those are not connected to COVID-19. In terms of physical aliments, Vernon Butler (hamstring), Tyler Kroft (foot), Victor Salako (back), and Quinton Spain (foot) are new additions to the list. Per McDermott via video conference prior to practice, Kroft had his foot stepped on in practice causing his injury, the same thing that occurred to him last season.

Here’s the Bills full injury list for Monday’s practice, including carryovers from the injury report late last week which have remained the same:

PUP LIST

  • TE Tommy Sweeney (foot)

OUT FOR EXTENDED PERIOD

  • OL Jon Feliciano (chest)

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Who could be surprise cut, trade candidates as Bills training camp ends?

Buffalo Bills players who could be surprise trade or cut candidates as 2020 training camp ends.

The Buffalo Bills are entering the final days of their 2020 training camp, even if it seems like it just began. In less than two weeks the club welcomes the New York Jets to Bills Stadium for their season-opening contest in front of no fans.

Even sooner is training camp cut day. The Bills have until Saturday at 4 p.m. to get down to 53 players. In order to get there, some guys will but cut, while others could be interesting trade options. Perhaps some of these moves could be considered surprises, too. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane hasn’t been shy about making bold moves in recent seasons, which has included swinging players for draft picks.

With that, let’s look at a few surprise cut and trade candidates as the Bills enter the final week of training camp:

Bills running back T.J. Yeldon. (James P. McCoy/The Buffalo News via AP, Pool)

RB TJ Yeldon

TJ Yeldon potentially not making this roster comes down to one other player: Antonio Williams. The Bills re-signed Williams this week, reportedly. He was with the team earlier this offseason. If Williams impressed enough in the final few days of camp, could Yeldon be expendable? Williams was once a highly-touted Ohio State prospect. He transferred closer to home and played in a loaded backfield so his numbers were never eye-popping enough to get him drafted out of UNC. But having said that, it’d certainly be considered a surprise to see Williams stay and Yeldon go.

The veteran has been around all offseason and he provides some veteran depth behind the youthful starting duo of Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. Williams was likely signed this week due to injuries at the position over the past week.

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