Tag: cam lewis

Ed Oliver, Cam Lewis sit out at Bills training camp

Ed Oliver out, Cam Lewis back on field at #Bills training camp:

The Buffalo Bills were without one main defender at Day 10 of 2023 training camp on Monday but the team got some good news on another one.

The team announced that defensive tackle Ed Oliver was sitting out of the workout due to a back issue. However, it was describe as “soreness,” hinting that nothing is seriously injured.

Oliver had previously left a practice early prior to missing Monday’s workout.

On the positive side of the ledger, versatile depth defensive back Cam Lewis did not practice on Monday… but not for the reason some might expect.

Lewis previously hit the ground hard when defending a pass during team drills and went to the sideline with trainers. The concern was a head injury but Lewis was evidently cleared from that.

Instead, Lewis missed time due to a groin injury.

During Monday’s practice, quarterback Josh Allen and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins both exited the workout due to injury. Allen returned, Dawkins did not.

Bills Wire will continue to bring all injury updates throughout training camp.

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Cam Lewis shaken up at Bills training camp

Cam Lewis shaken up at #Bills training camp:

Cam Lewis is a name to monitor at Buffalo Bills training camp.

On Sunday, the team headed back to St. John Fisher University and took the practice field for the ninth day of training camp. Prior to that, the Bills headed back to Orchard Park for their annual “Blue and Red” practice.

During their workouts back in the Rochester area, cornerback Cam Lewis took at hard fall on the field. The defensive back ended up hitting his head on the field after trying to make an interception during a team drill, per multiple reports including The Athletic:

No full update has yet to be provided on Lewis since he went into the medical tent. Bills Wire will continue to provide updates as information is made available.

Throughout this summer, Lewis has been vying for a spot as a backup cornerback and safety on Buffalo’s defense. He is entering his fourth season with the Bills.

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31 Bills players slated to become free agents in 2024

Ahead of the NFL draft, knowing who is entering the final year of their contract is important. Here’s who on the #Bills will be a free agent in 2024:

The 2023 NFL draft is right around the corner. The Buffalo Bills will add new players in positions of need throughout the event.

But the Bills will be looking well beyond just next season. All needs aren’t considered immediate and we’ve seen this before from the Bills.

At last year’s draft, Buffalo selected Georgia running back James Cook with a second-round pick. As talented as Cook is in his own right, Devin Singletary played a part.

The Bills knew Singletary was entering the final year of his contract and understood it might be difficult to re-sign him… and now he’s a member of the Houston Texans.

In terms of the upcoming draft, there are other players currently on the Bills that could fall into the same realm.

Here’s the full list of the team’s 31 upcoming free agents after next season:

Bills re-sign Cam Lewis to one-year deal

#Bills re-sign Cam Lewis to one-year deal:

The Buffalo Bills have retained one defensive back: Cam Lewis.

Lewis, a restricted free agent, has re-signed with the team. The club announced the update on Monday.

Of note, the 25-year-old was listed by the team as a cornerback when the update on his new contract was made. In the past, Lewis has played both corner and safety and he lined up more in the latter position in 2022.

Lewis is not a western New York native (Detroit), however, he signed with the Bills as an undrafted rookie following the 2019 NFL draft. He attended the University at Buffalo prior to that.

On defense, Lewis has only started four games in his career with just 234 snaps since then. His most came last year, 104 total, and Lewis appeared in a career-high 13 games.

Where Lewis adds further value, and specifically as of late, is on special teams. He played in 51 percent of Buffalo’s special teams snap last year, another career-high for him.

In 25 games in the pros, Lewis has notched 21 tackles, including one for loss, with one forced fumble and one pass defended. Pro Football Focus handed Lewis a harsh 47.9 overall grade in 2022, however, his coverage grade was higher at 56.6.

Stay tuned to Bills Wire for all free agency updates.

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Bills defense critical post-Vikings: ‘We knock the [expletive] ball down, we win’

#Bills defense critical post-#Vikings: ‘We knock the [expletive] ball down, we win’

Sunday afternoon the Buffalo Bills walked out of Orchard Park on the heels of a 33-30 loss to the Minnesota Vikings every bit deserving to have been beaten.

What felt like a whirlwind of emotions from the end of the 4th quarter through overtime, thanks to a series of improbable and head-scratching plays/decisions, dropped the Bills to 6-3 on the season.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Included in that is the play of quarterback, Josh Allen, the coaching from Sean McDermott, Leslie Frazier and Ken Dorsey and the overall play of the defense. But often times there are plays in a game like this that feel as though they led, or at least greatly contributed to the unraveling of a team.

Enter, Cam Lewis.

The third year defensive back, who got his first career start at safety thanks to a rash of injuries to the Bills secondary, was tasked with defending Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson late in the game. Let’s just say it did not go as planned.

With just under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Bills up 27-23, the Vikings found themselves in a fourth and 18… then the implausible happened. Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins aired out a deep ball to Jefferson, who somehow went up and pulled the catch in, in what some are calling the best reception they’ve ever seen:

Perhaps the most frustrating part is the fact Lewis appears to go for an interception when all he needed to do was knock the ball down to end the game. A lesson you’d think the Bills would have learned a couple seasons ago in Arizona against the Cardinals.

After the game, Lewis, as one would expect, took the play pretty hard.

“Thought it was… thought it was over his head, but just gotta be more aware in that situation,” Lewis said at his locker after the game. “F—— fourth & 22. Knock the ball down, bro. Like, I’m not a selfish player. I don’t try to be a selfish player. I’m always trying to put the team before me. Just gotta knock the f—— ball down, plain and simple. Gotta know the situation, we knock the f—— ball down we win. You know what I’m saying? That’s all I can say about that.”

When asked how much that moment hurt, Lewis was in no mood to dive further into his emotions.

“Man, you know it hurt,” Lewis continued. “You know it hurts. Don’t do that.”

During his post-game press conference, McDermott was asked more broadly about the Bills defense seemingly losing it’s edge at the end of the last few games. McDermott referenced the fourth-and-long conversion.

“I believe in this team. I believe in the team,” McDermott told the media. “They made more plays than we did down the stretch. Obviously we turned the ball over. Got a team in 4th and 19 and they made the play. We gotta get the ball knocked down there. So, opportunities to win the game and again, today we didn’t get it done.”

With the loss the Bills now find themselves in third place in their own division, a far cry from the Super Bowl favorites many had coined them as earlier in the year.

While games like this are very tough to swallow, even more so coming off a tough loss the week before to a division opponent, these are the moments the Bills will try to learn from, especially a young player like Lewis.

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Injury update: Bills’ Cam Lewis leaves preseason game vs. Panthers

Injury update: #Bills’ Cam Lewis leaves preseason game vs. #Panthers:

Bills cornerback Cam Lewis departed his team’s preseason matchup against the Panthers.

The team announced that Lewis sustained a nose injury during the second half of the contest. After a play, Lewis remained down on the field but he eventually walked off.

According to the Bills, Lewis will have an X-ray done on his injury. He is officially listed as questionable to return.

Lewis is battling for a depth spot in Buffalo’s secondary. Since signing with the Bills out of the University of Buffalo in 2019, Lewis has spent time both in a depth position at cornerback and on the team’s practice squad.

Bills Wire will provide further updates as they become available.

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Bills 2022 training camp positional battles: Cornerback

#Bills 2022 training camp positional battles: Cornerback (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills cornerback position has always been an interesting area to examine on the rosters since head coach Sean McDermott arrived on the scene.

Tre’Davious White has been a near constant on the field, outside of injuries that have sidelined him. The player opposite White has changed quite a bit.

There were some veteran experiments (Josh Norman, Vontae Davis, EJ Gaines, Phillip Gaines) and developing players (Levi Wallace, Cam Lewis, Dane Jackson) working their way onto the field. Ultimately, Wallace had the most consistent and most positive impact on the field.

Now, Wallace is a Pittsburgh Steeler, leaving via free agency this March.

An additional wrinkle with this position is White’s health. The All-Pro is returning from an ACL tear, and his status is somewhat uncertain entering the season.

As training camp nears, one of the areas to watch is how the staff utilizes their cornerbacks. It may be a battle for players to position themselves in case White misses any time. Or, if somehow Kaiir Elam nears more time to acclimate to the NFL, a reserve will need to step in immediately.

How the roster shakes out behind White and Elam will be the big battle this summer for the cornerbacks.

Jackson epitomized the “next man up” mentality on the roster, starting six games after White’s injury next year.  He ended last year with 41 tackles and six passes defensed. Lewis has been a solid depth piece in the secondary.

They will be challenged by sixth-round pick Christian Benford.  At the very least, a strong camp will slot Benford ahead of players returning from the practice squad. The Villanova product has good size to challenge for an immediate reserve spot on the roster.

Nick McCloud, Olaijah Griffin, and Tim Harris have spent time on Buffalo’s practice squad last year. A strong camp will at the very least put one of these players in the running for a final roster spot in Buffalo. It could also pique the interest of other teams if they do not find a place with the Bills.

On paper, the group seems fairly straightforward. However, circumstances will make this unit any interesting one to keep an eye on this training camp.

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