Tag: damien harris

What to watch for at Bills mandatory minicamp this week

A list of seven:

The Buffalo Bills will hit the field for their 2023 mandatory minicamp workouts starting on Tuesday for three days.

Here are the seven things to watch for this week:

5 Bills position battles to keep an eye on

5 #Bills position battles to keep an eye on:

The Buffalo Bills offseason is in full swing, and so are the team’s position battles.

While many of the starting positions are secured, others have some healthy competition that could see changes in who takes the field at the top of their respective positional depth chart and rotation group.

A flush of new faces via free agency and this year’s draft, along with second-year pros, are looking to earn playing time when the regular season begins.

With that, here are five Bills position battles to keep an eye on…

Full list of Bills players not participating in Week 3 of OTAs

Full list of #Bills players not participating in Week 3 of OTAs:

The Buffalo Bills hit the field again for another slate of organized team activities (OTAs) early in June this week. While observers of the team would appreciate full attendance, that’s usually not the case.

Some players decide not to show up… and it’s important to note that doing so is OK. All such workouts prior to mandatory minicamp are voluntary.

There is no penalty for missing them… even if you’re Stefon Diggs, who has been the lightning rod for attention this offseason due to posts on social media and other circumstances.

For those curious, here’s a rundown of players that were not attending OTA practice on Tuesday, the first day of the second week of the workouts, according to WGR-550 radio:

3 unexpected Patriots players who could make a big impact in 2023

Here are three Patriots players you should be keeping an eye on in 2023.

There is still hope that the New England Patriots will add to their wide receiver core by signing former All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, as they have been long linked to him since rumors first began on his availability.

Whether that’s a mere dream or reality is up for debate. But one thing we do know is there are some under-the-radar players currently on the roster that could end up making a big impact in 2023.

These players aren’t being talked about enough, and that could all change at some point this season. A breakout showing from any of the players on this list would do wonders for the Patriots and their playoff chances.

Bills’ Josh Allen on Khalil Shakir: ‘I have a lot of trust in him’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on Khalil Shakir: ‘I have a lot of trust in him’

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With the Bills offseason program in full swing, coaches and players are getting early reads on who contributors might be on both sides of the ball when the start of the regular season arrives.

GM Brandon Beane has been active in reloading on offense, where coordinator Ken Dorsey will be tasked with creating opportunities for reliable receiving options and weapons after WR1 Stefon Diggs.

There have been questions as to who the second and third go-to players will be, as well as who will take on the Cole Beasley-like role in the slot and on third down.

One of those options is 2022 fifth-round NFL Draft pick Khalil Shakir, who showed flashes of potential in limited action during his rookie campaign.

He’s since made strides in his offseason work to develop at the pro level going into his second season, working out with former Bills receiver Eric Moulds and more recently earning a vote of confidence from one of the most important members of the organization, QB Josh Allen.

“I have a lot of trust in him,” Allen said to the Buffalo News. “I think he’s only going to continue to grow in his role.”

“He knows his position. He knows the ‘Z,’ he knows the ‘X.’ He’s going to have a really good year,” he added. “I’m not quite sure what (Shakir’s role will be) and how it’s going to look like for everybody, but the dude shows up every day with a smile on his face. He’s ready to work. He works extremely hard, and our relationship on the field is growing, just reading his body language and such. So, I’m very excited about what he’s showing right now and what he has to offer for this team.”

With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis leading the team in receiving yards last season, and TE Dawson Knox helped carry a substantial part of that workload later in their 2022 campaign questions have been raised about who else can help command the attention of opposing defenses as a reliable contributor.

Receivers Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty, Marcell Ateman, and Justin Shorter have since joined the receivers group to vie for that type of role. With the addition of TE2 Dalton Kincaid in the recent NFL Draft, in-game opportunities are going to become that much more valuable for those players as the Bills figure to run more 12-personnel two tight end sets with one running back and two receivers.

“Definitely, a year in this offense helps out a lot,” Shakir said about the advantage his time with the team gives him in that position battle. “When you first get here, you’re learning all the plays from all the different positions, so being in it a year, it definitely feels like things have slowed down a little bit, but at the same time, still have a lot to learn within the offense, as well, so continuing to grow every day is also on my mind, as well.”

“He’s a conceptual learner, and he’s fine-tuning and getting better at his craft,” wide receivers coach Adam Henry said. “I’m just telling him the ins and outs and just owning the multiple roles and knowing the whole offense. When we first got together, nobody had a position – he just learned the offense – and now we’re sectioning off to where we’re going. He’s really, really progressing in the details of his routes and making sure he’s (improving) on the top of his routes and his breaks.”

Shakir finished his rookie season with 10 catches and 161 yards with a touchdown and 91 yards receiving during the Bills playoff games. 

“My mind is on ‘Control what you can control.’ Showing up every day and putting my best foot forward is something I can control,” Shakir added. “Trent and Harty, having those guys in the room, they’re awesome. We all bond pretty well, help each other out when we’re out there on the field. If I’m doing something wrong, the receiver room, as a whole, will be one of the first to point it out and let me know, so it’s been great.”

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This Patriots player earned nod for NFL All-Breakout Team

A breakout star could be in the making for the Patriots in 2023.

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NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks put together his 2023 NFL All-Breakout Team with New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson landing on the list.

Stevenson was a major part of the Patriots’ rushing attack last season. He ran for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He also proved to be a weapon in the passing game, catching 69 passes for 420 yards and a touchdown.

Five of his receptions resulted in a gain of 20-plus yards.

Stevenson also managed to take over the top running back role in the process. He tallied 699 total snaps in comparison to Damien Harris’ 238, per statistics from FantasyPro’s.com. Harris was bogged down by injuries, and it became clear Stevenson was the main force in the running back room.

Brooks believes that the play-action passing game will help both quarterback Mac Jones and Stevenson. Now with Harris no longer in the fold, Stevenson could have even more opportunities to make an impact, as Brooks notes:

Bill O’Brien will put the ball in the hands of the rugged runner to set the table for Mac Jones and a complementary play-action passing game. Not to mention, New England’s second-leading rusher from 2022, Damien Harris, departed in free agency to Buffalo. So this is Rhamondre’s show. As a three-down playmaker with the size, strength and skill to shoulder a heavy workload, Stevenson could post big numbers this season.

It will be intriguing to see exactly how much Stevenson factors into the offense.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that the former Oklahoma star has the potential for a big year. New England will need him to be productive if they want to keep pace in a crowded AFC East division.

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3 questions the Bills must still answer on offense

3 questions the #Bills must still answer on offense:

General manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills front office went right to work on improving the team’s offensive line and receiver group this offseason.

Low-risk, high-ceiling free agent signings on short-term deals include receivers Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty, running back Damien Harris as well as offensive lineman David Harris and Connor McGovern. Not to mention draft additions like TE Dalton Kincaid, G O’Cyrus Torrence, WR Justin Shorter, and G Nick Broeker.

Reloading on offense has the Bills deeper with roster talent, which makes for some interesting analysis as to where things are still unclear on QB Josh Allen’s side of the ball.

Here are three questions the Bills must answer on offense:

Pro Football Focus includes 4 former Alabama players in top-32 RB rankings

PFF ranks the top 32 starting running backs in the NFL

In the last decade or so, the NFL has become a much pass happier league, and at times the art of the running back feels lost. Perhaps some of it is because of the durability and longevity of the position, but it seems as if there are very few superstar RBs in the current NFL. However, there are still some really special players at the position such as Raiders’ RB [autotag]Josh Jacobs[/autotag] who looks to become only the third running back in NFL history to lead the league in rushing in back-to-back years.

Jacobs is among a handful of guys we would consider elite, alongside [autotag]Derrick Henry[/autotag], who is also a former RB for the Crimson Tide. Pro Football Focus ranked all of the starting running backs in the NFL, including four former Alabama players.

The top five ranked RBs on their list were in order: Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, Christian McCaffrey of the San Fransisco 49ers, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts. Good to see two of the former Alabama backs crack the top five.

[autotag]Najee Harris[/autotag] of the Pittsburgh Steelers enters at No. 19 on the list. He’s been a 1000 yard rusher both seasons in the league, so I think he will continue to move up the list. [autotag]Damien Harris[/autotag] is also expected to be a starter for the Buffalo Bills this year and is ranked at No. 24. Harris was very productive during his time with the Patriots, but he will hopefully find an ever bigger role with the Bills.

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Breaking down the Bills 2023 draft class

Breaking down the #Bills 2023 draft class:

The Buffalo Bills 2023 NFL draft class is officially in session, kicking off their rookie minicamp this week.

What type of role could each player have, and when might they make an impact on the field?

The answers to those questions ultimately remain to be seen, but in the meantime here is a breakdown of each member of the draft class.

4 roster needs the Bills still must address

4 roster needs the #Bills still must address:

The Buffalo Bills front office has been busy as of late, looking for opportunities to improve the team’s roster as well as its salary cap situation.

Among the tasks at hand have been adding to certain areas of need among position groups.

While we’ve seen a number of new faces join the team this offseason, some areas still require long term solutions.

With that, here are some roster needs the team must still address.