Bills training camp: Keon Coleman makes a splash, no clear No. 2 running back
Plus, double duty for Cam Lewis, and more.
www.nytimes.com
The Bills made it through their first three days of training camp without anyone missing practice, but upon their return from a day off, one notable name was not on the field in any capacity.
James Cook, the team’s locked-in starting running back, was absent from practice on Sunday at St. John Fisher University. The team relayed that they excused Cook for personal reasons, which is a positive from a team perspective, given his importance to the 2024 season.
On top of Cook’s absence, two players vying to make the 53-man roster this summer sustained injuries. Veteran wide receiver Chase Claypool, who had occasionally been working in with quarterback Josh Allen and the first-team offense, came up hobbling after a team drill rep.
Athletic trainers attended to him for several minutes and were looking at what appeared to be his right leg. Eventually, Claypool put his cleat back on, stood up and rejoined his receiver teammates, though the wideout did not take another rep through the rest of practice. Claypool signed a one-year, low-guarantee deal in early May.
Reserve interior offensive lineman Will Clapp also sustained what looked to be a left arm injury during a one-on-one rep near the end of practice. Clapp was working against defensive tackle Eli Ankou and immediately went off the field with the athletic training staff. Clapp did not take another rep in the few minutes remaining in practice, nor did he do any after-session work with offensive line teammates. Clapp, on a one-year deal, has consistently worked with the second-team offense, getting time along the interior at center and guard.
What stood out from Day 4 of camp, the last day before full pads go on at Bills training camp? Here are several observations from the day.
Keon Coleman with the splash play of practice
Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman is one of the big draws for fans this summer, earning big applause each time he trots onto the field from the locker room at the beginning of the session. And to this point, he’s lived up to his high draft status. Over his first four days of camp, Coleman has flashed some good route running, particularly in the shorter areas of the field, and has been a dependable target when Allen calls upon him. Coleman has done most of his work in team drills in the under-10-yard area, but he pushed it out Sunday with an outstanding catch for a touchdown.
With no James Cook in practice on Sunday, neither Ray Davis (pictured) nor Ty Johnson made their case to be the backup. (Tina MacIntyre-Yee / USA Today)
Working in the red zone from 14 yards out, Coleman pushed past cornerback Christian Benford along the left sideline and found some space just past the goal line. Allen fired a ball that required Coleman to fully extend his long arms and bring in the fastball, all while keeping his straight line to get both feet in the end zone. Coleman snared the ball out of the air without any double clutching and didn’t have any problems stamping his feet in bounds. This was Coleman’s third red zone touchdown of camp so far, and while it’s unwise to draw any sweeping conclusions before full pads go on, he appears to be on the right trajectory for his role in 2024. He has only worked with Allen during team drills, which is as good a sign as any. If Coleman can continue with his solid camp and into the preseason, he’ll have an excellent shot for a role garnering at least over 50 percent of offensive snaps when healthy to begin the year.
With no James Cook in practice on Sunday, neither Ray Davis (pictured) nor Ty Johnson made their case to be the backup. (Tina MacIntyre-Yee / USA Today)
No Cook, so how did the RB time shake out?
There is one true feature of the Bills backfield in 2024. There is James Cook, and then a certain tier break after him ahead of the rest of the depth chart. So with his absence on Sunday, it provided the first glimpse as to what happens without that top tier of the running back room. During the practice, there were only two running backs that worked in with the first-team offense. That included veteran Ty Johnson and fourth-round rookie Ray Davis. It was a pretty close to even split in how often they lined up with Allen and the top unit, with Johnson having the slight edge over Davis.Each player had a regrettable moment during the practice. Allen delivered a strike to Johnson in the end zone right between the numbers, and the running back dropped a would-be touchdown. Meanwhile, Davis had the ball stripped from him on a rushing opportunity and it was recovered by the defense, which, under McDermott, has been the more frowned-upon offense of the two. Regardless, both players are looking to be a piece of the running back room puzzle with or without Cook available, but there has yet to be a clear-cut second back in the early stages of the summer.
Double duty for Cam Lewis
Over the first three days of practice, the Bills had kept things pretty standard with defensive back Cam Lewis. After spending the last two seasons working mostly at safety, Lewis had only been at nickel corner in the first few summer sessions. That switched up on Sunday, with Lewis spending much of the first half of practice lining up at safety with the second-team defense alongside rookie Cole Bishop. Then in the back half of practice, Lewis resumed work at nickel corner during team drills. The early switch also provided opportunities for some young players, with sixth-round rookie Daequan Hardy getting some second-team defense work at nickel, and usual boundary corner Ja’Marcus Ingram doing some double duty of his own and getting some nickel reps.At safety, the first-team rotation reset to the beginning of camp, as Damar Hamlin lined up alongside Taylor Rapp as the top pairing. If the rotation from the first three days holds, we’ll see veteran Mike Edwards with Rapp on Day 5 and Bishop with Rapp on Day 6. Anything that veers from that will be highly notable.
