And just like that, with practice wrapping up Thursday morning, the Bills’ first stage of training camp is officially over. For their last session at St. John Fisher University, the team ramped down in a non-padded practice, likely in preparation for its home preseason game on Saturday against the Chicago Bears.
The Bills will now pack their moving trucks and take the entire operation home to Orchard Park, conducting the rest of their training camp sessions in their home facilities. With this stage of the summer over, we began to spot some trends and specific players who have helped themselves ahead of their three preseason games.
What stood out from their time in Pittsford? Here is a full Bills training camp debrief before the preseason starts Saturday afternoon.
Players in a better position than when camp started
WRs Tyrell Shavers and Mack HollinsBoth players are listed here for different reasons. For Shavers, he went from a potential afterthought for the 53-man roster, to someone seemingly in prime position to make the team outright with continued success in the preseason. Shavers has consistently mixed in with the first-team offense during each practice, while also getting reps with the second-team offense. Shavers can play all three receiver positions, has been strong on the ball when given opportunities in team drills and most importantly, can be a multi-unit contributor on special teams. A strong preseason could lock up a spot for Shavers.
Hollins makes this list from a public perception standpoint. We knew the Bills liked Hollins when they signed him, but we didn’t know how much they liked him and his overall impact on the locker room until seeing him in an everyday setting for training camp. Barring injury, Hollins should be a locked-in top-four receiver who will likely get more offensive snaps than initially expected. He can play both the X and Z receiver positions.
CB Kaiir Elam
Without question, the 2024 training camp was Elam’s best of his career. The game seems to have slowed down a bit for the third-year player, and he’s cutting out some of the volatility that has kept him cemented on the bench. There still have been some beats, but he’s making more positive plays than years past. This summer has been a clean slate for Elam with some coaching staff changes, which seems to have helped his confidence. At one point, Elam even worked in for some first-team time. Although Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford still appear to have the inside track on being the starting duo, it would not be a surprise if the Bills wanted to work Elam into games here or there, given his performance this summer.
S Damar Hamlin
In his fourth season with the Bills, Hamlin makes this list because he’s the last of the potential starting options remaining. Experienced veteran Mike Edwards hasn’t practiced since July 28 with a week-to-week hamstring injury. Rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop, who seemed to be showing some real progress in the starting competition, is considered week-to-week with a shoulder injury suffered on July 30. Hamlin has taken almost all of the first-team reps at free safety since those injuries occurred. He hasn’t been a standout in his time at that spot, which leaves the door open for others, but going from potential roster bubble to being atop the depth chart by default is a great reason to make this list.
DEs Dawuane Smoot and Javon Solomon
Much like the Hollins signing, the Bills’ overall fondness for Smoot and his role in their defense wasn’t as well known until they arrived at training camp. Smoot looks locked into one of their top four defensive end roles and offers the versatility to slide inside to defensive tackle on pass-rushing downs. It would not be a surprise if Smoot was the “starter” in some regular season games, as he’ll likely be a core rotational piece this year.
Solomon, the last of their three fifth-round picks in April, has to have the Bills feeling excited about his future. Although a smaller-sized player at 6-feet and 246 pounds, Solomon has outstanding arm length (nearly 34 inches), strength and explosiveness. He is checking boxes as a pass rusher, which could earn him a role on game days as early as this year. He’s also working in on special teams units, which could be the true determinant of his being active on game days. As of this point, Solomon looks like a real find that can develop into at least a good rotational pass rusher, with the team hoping for more.
CBs Daequan Hardy and Ja’Marcus Ingram
The Bills have a decision to make at cornerback, not only regarding who they keep but also how many. As a whole, the group has made that decision quite difficult across the depth chart. Sixth-round rookie Daequan Hardy has turned himself from only a kick and punt returner into someone who has consistently made plays on defense. Hardy has worked at both nickel and boundary cornerback, really giving the Bills more reasons to hang on to him. Ingram has been equally as impressive and has offered the same versatility, though his special teams impact would be in coverage units. Including versatile defensive back Cam Lewis, it would not be a surprise if the Bills kept seven cornerbacks this season.
Mike Edwards’ camp has been hampered by injuries. (Shawn Dowd / USA Today)
Players who could use a good preseason showing
WR Chase ClaypoolThings started excellently for Claypool this camp. He was routinely working in for some first-team reps with quarterback Josh Allen and was firmly in the battle for a roster spot. Unfortunately for Claypool, he has likely seen his standing on the receiver pecking order slip due to unavailability. Claypool suffered a toe injury on July 28 and was quickly considered day-to-day, but has not practiced since. Making it worse, Claypool hasn’t taken part in a fully padded practice as a member of the Bills, and NFL teams often skew their evaluations to what players do once the physicality of the game re-emerges with full pads. Claypool needs to get back on the field and make an impact during both practice and preseason games to make up for lost time and compel the Bills to keep him. But he’s got his work cut out to move past one of Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Shavers.
S Mike Edwards
The Bills signed veteran safety Mike Edwards to give him some starting experience in the safety competition. But since Edwards arrived in Buffalo, he has been snakebitten by injuries. Edwards missed spring sessions due to injury and then once again suffered an injury only four days into camp. Edwards is week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Without the benefit of the doubt of being in the Bills’ defensive system for all that long, there’s a chance that Edwards could be on the outside looking in on the final roster if he doesn’t get back quickly enough. It will depend on a few things. Cole Bishop’s return-from-injury timeline is one of those, as will the team’s feeling about Cam Lewis as a full-time backup safety. And even if it isn’t Lewis, there’s a looming threat that the Bills could use their cap space to sign another safety. Edwards would have a dead cap hit of $1.6 million if released.
OL La’El Collins
When the team first signed Collins, who turned 31 during training camp, he was thought to be the trusted veteran backup who could fill in for multiple positions if injuries occur. However, based on what we’ve seen at practice, Collins is not the same player as he once was, which limits how many spots he could fill in for. The Bills have used him at offensive tackle and guard, but when at tackle, the toll of Collins’ injuries throughout his career has made it a bit of a struggle for him to deal with speed to the edge. Those movement skills may also transfer to the interior, especially with how much the Bills like to get their linemen on the move. It calls into question if he would be the first man in for any of the guard or tackle positions. Right now, it looks like Ryan Van Demark is the top backup tackle, with Alec Anderson pushing Collins to be the top interior backup.
K Tyler Bass
When the Bills signed Bass to an extension in April ahead of the 2023 season, they thought they had one of the best kickers in the league for the long term. But as the season unfolded, Bass has had his most significant struggles with consistency to date. Regardless, the Bills stood staunchly behind their kicker and long-term investment, choosing not to sign a kicker in any capacity in the offseason and hoping the struggles were a one-year mirage. At camp, Bass has mostly made his kicks, but he has had a handful of misses that have been pushed clear to the side of the uprights, including a pair of misses during the team’s second-to-last practice and one bad miss during the stadium practice in Orchard Park. The Bills would likely love to get Bass plenty of preseason opportunities to have him feeling great heading into the year, but Bass hasn’t been that automatic kicker from a couple of seasons ago just yet.
LB Nicholas Morrow
Morrow is another injured player, but his performance ahead of his core/groin injury opened the door to a couple of things, even with $750,000 in guaranteed money. First, Morrow is being pushed for a job by veteran linebacker Deion Jones, who is on the true definition of a prove-it deal with no guaranteed money owed. The 29-year-old Jones has 91 starts to his name, and if he continues to show well, he could push Morrow off the roster entirely. The second option would be for the Bills only to keep five linebackers and keep Jones on the practice squad, as long as fifth-round rookie Edefuan Ulofoshio returns in time from his rib injury. The Bills have had a lot of young players at different positions on the bubble play well this summer, and better than what Morrow has offered. Keeping only five linebackers would allow the Bills to keep someone who can help on their side of the ball and special teams on game days.
Positions they could still address
SafetyWith uncertainty on health to half of the current top four, a shaky starting option in Hamlin and starter Taylor Rapp going through some up-and-down play this summer, the Bills might be forced to address the position. Although it doesn’t have to be this specific safety, the light has been left on for longtime Bills safety Micah Hyde if he wants to return. Hyde has yet to announce his retirement, and the longer it goes unresolved with the season nearing, the ultra-competitive Hyde could get the playing itch again. General manager Brandon Beane said at the beginning of camp that Hyde is “staying ready,” and basically added then that nothing was imminent — though that was before the Edwards and Bishop injuries. For what it’s worth, despite all of their defensive back additions over the last few months, the Bills have not issued Hyde’s No. 23 to anyone.
Backup OL
This hinges on the veteran Collins showing well in the preseason and the progress of the team’s quartet of young offensive linemen. The group of Van Demark, Anderson, fifth-round rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and sixth-round rookie Tylan Grable have a grand total of zero starts between them. If Collins, or veteran Will Clapp isn’t what they want out of their top veteran backup, they could look to add someone else.
Up next: The Bills take on the Bears on Saturday, August 10 at Highmark Stadium. The game will begin at 1:00 pm.