5 things to watch in Bills' preseason opener against Bears
Buffalo Bills’ rookie running back Ray Davis figures to have a big opportunity Saturday in the team’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears at Highmark Stadium. Veteran running back James Cook is expected to play about one quarter, and presumptive No. 2 running back Ty Johnson isn’t...
Ray Davis is trying his best to stay grounded.
The Buffalo Bills’ rookie running back figures to have a big opportunity Saturday in the team’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears at Highmark Stadium. it’s scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Bills rookie running back Ray Davis participates in a drill during a recent practice at training camp. He is expected to see plenty of playing time Saturday. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Veteran running back James Cook is expected to play about one quarter, and presumptive No. 2 running back Ty Johnson isn’t expected to dress for the game because of a hamstring injury. That means Davis could be in line for plenty of playing time.
“I kind of approach it the same way I’ve always approached games throughout my career,” Davis said Thursday after the Bills wrapped up training camp at St. John Fisher University. “There is definitely that little thought in the back of my mind, like, ‘OK, this is my opportunity to show the Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia, everybody, who I am and who they drafted.’ You want to keep that in the back of the mind and not let that disrupt anything that you’ve got going on in the moment. Whether I get one carry or I get 20, or I don’t play at all, I have to understand I have the opportunity to put on a Buffalo Bills jersey and go out there and represent them in the best way I can.”
Davis got a taste of what it’s like to play in his new home stadium during the team’s scrimmage earlier this month, but that was a mere first course. Saturday can be considered an appetizer ahead of the main course – the regular-season home opener against Arizona on Sept. 8.
“If I go in there with too big of a head and not understand that it’s just another football game and another opportunity to get better, then I think I’ll kind of psych myself out,” Davis said. “Just to be able to go out there and play the game that I’ve played for so long and the game that I love and be able to be around my new teammates and just kind of understand what Highmark Stadium energy is, that’ll be exciting.”
Like any rookie, Davis went through some ups and downs during his first training camp. Through them all, he kept a positive attitude.
“I’m proud that I was able to prevail,” he said. “Nothing is ever going to be a straight line. You’re always going to have a couple wiggles in there. How do you attack the next day, limit your mistakes and fix the things you need to fix? You come out here and give it your all no matter what. That’s something I wanted to continue to do throughout my time in camp.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady called coaching Davis “a blast.”
“I’ve loved everything about Ray Davis, the way that he works,” Brady said. “He can play in all three phases − he can run the football, he can catch passes out of the backfield and he’s a good protector. … A lot of it comes down once pads are on − the running back position in practice, you don’t get an opportunity to make a lot of guys miss, you don’t get the feel sometimes because everything’s thud or tag off, so that’s what I’m excited to see, getting opportunities in preseason, just seeing how Ray and the rest of the running backs kind of play when they can get tackled.”
Davis’ debut with the Bills is one of five things to watch against the Bears. Here are four more:
1. The safety situation. If there is a position of worry on the Bills’ roster right now, it’s at safety. Both Mike Edwards (hamstring) and rookie Cole Bishop (shoulder) are not expected to play against the Bears. With those two out, Damar Hamlin has been with the starters opposite Taylor Rapp. The Bills also have used versatile defensive back Cam Lewis in addition to signing veterans Terrell Burgess and Kareem Jackson. With the return dates for Edwards and Bishop unknown, the Bills will want to start developing some contingency plans soon.
2. Can Zach Davidson continue his push? The Bills clearly like Davidson, keeping him around last season on injured reserve. He’s shown why in the spring and throughout training camp, consistently turning in big plays. To make the 53-man roster, however, Davidson will have to beat out Quintin Morris to be the No. 3 tight end or convince the coaching staff that it’s worth keeping four players at the position. To do either of those things, he will need to continue his strong summer.
To make the 53-man roster, tight end Zach Davidson, catching the football, has to beat out Quintin Morris or convince the coaching staff that it’s worth keeping four players at the position.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
3. Tyrell Shavers’ usage. Head coach Sean McDermott praised Shavers’ consistency on the final day of training camp. The 24-year-old wide receiver has entered the chat when it comes to making the 53-man roster. Does Shavers get any run with quarterback Josh Allen and the starters? Does he work as a gunner with the top punt-coverage unit? The answers to those two questions could provide important clues as to whether Shavers will continue his march toward a roster spot.
4. The defensive line rotation. Do the Bills keep nine up front on defense, or 10? A look at the team’s first depth chart of the summer shows just how intense the competition is. At edge, we can assume A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau and Von Miller are roster locks. Veteran Dawuane Smoot is probably in that category as well. That leaves Kingsley Jonathan, Casey Toohill and rookie Javon Solomon as the primary competitors for maybe just one spot. At defensive tackle, it’s similarly crowded. Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter and Austin Johnson can be considered locks. Is there room for DeShawn Williams, who was signed as a free agent, at the position? He may need a big preseason to make that a reality.