These 10 Buffalo Bills have the most at stake as training camp begins. Take a look
Among the Bills players with a lot to prove as 2024 training camp begins: Von Miller, Kaiir Elam, Ty Johnson, Tyler Bass, Chase Claypool and Damar Hamlin.
Training camp is on the horizon, and with it, a huge opportunity for players and coaches on the Buffalo Bills to prove themselves. There’s a lot to play for, whether it’s to play to a higher level or even just to make the roster. Some have more at stake than others.
I’ll address one omission – I left off rookie Keon Coleman, because while I think he has plenty to prove, I think it’s too early to say he’s among those with the most at stake. Feel free to disagree in the comments. The Bills still have plenty to figure out at wide receiver, but I think Coleman has a cushion on his time frame. Others? Not so much.
In no particular order, here are my 10 Bills – both players and a couple of coaches – with the most at stake this season.
Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, entering his third NFL season, may have the most at stake of any player on the roster. Harry Scull Jr. photos, Buffalo News
Kaiir Elam
It’s a make-or-break season for Elam, the 2022 first-round pick of the Bills. Elam missed time in each of his first two seasons, whether from injuries or from production. A lingering ankle injury hampered him last year, with the cornerback talking about the mental effects of missing time as well. Now healthy, it’s his time to prove his draft status.Damar Hamlin
Hamlin impressed during OTAs and minicamp. The safety was inactive for the bulk of last season, playing in just five games for the Bills. The starting safety duo was set with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, both of whom are no longer with the Bills. Hamlin was the odd man out of the lineup, but a healthy scratch. Now, it’s his chance to get back in the lineup as the Bills have seen so much turnover at safety.Von Miller
Miller is a future Hall of Famer, but he didn’t look that way in his return last season, coming back from a knee injury. This season, it’s up to him to prove why the Bills signed him back in 2022. Miller and coaches are adamant that the tail end of last season proves he’ll be ready for this year, and Bills fans best hope they’re right. The defense line needs the edge rusher to play up to higher standards, and if he doesn’t, there’s a lot at stake.
Bills edge rusher Von Miller had a tough season coming off a torn ACL. Can he return to form in 2024? Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
A.J. Epenesa
The defensive end tested free agency and ended up back on the Bills on a two-year deal. Now, it’s his time to prove why the Bills drafted him in the second round in 2020. He’s had 6.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons. Epenesa also missed two games last season with a rib injury, but was back for the final stretch. The team needs the defensive line to step up, and Epenesa is a candidate to do so.Chase Claypool
The veteran wide receiver is hoping to start a new, successful chapter with the Bills. Take it from coach Sean McDermott, who early in OTAs said: “He’s very focused, he’s working extremely hard day in and day out. And embracing not just the wide receiver role that he could play for us, but also the special teams role that he could play for us. You don’t find that a lot around the NFL where a player has been at a certain level and then is on a mission right now to reclaim what he once was in that regard. And those are my words, maybe not fair to Chase, respectfully.” What McDermott is saying is that Claypool has humbled himself, and the receiver is now looking to latch on in Buffalo.Baylon Spector
The oft-injured linebacker needs to fight to keep his spot on the roster. Spector has played 15 games across his two seasons in the league, but the bulk of that has come on special teams. The Bills value special teams, of course, but Spector needs to carve out a bigger role to stay competitive.Ty Johnson
The running back had 30 carries for 132 yards while appearing in 10 games for the Bills last season. With the running back room seeing significant turnover, Johnson could see a chance to play more this year. He has to take hold of that opportunity if it arises.Tyler Bass
This is my surprise choice. The kicker signed a four-year contract extension with the Bills in April 2023, and the team proclaimed their trust in Bass even after his missed kick in the playoffs as the Bills fell to Kansas City. But the new kickoff rules are intriguing, and Bass will need to prove he can keep up. Training camp will be the time for him to get the rules and the strategies down.Sean McDermott
Is the head coach on the hot seat? Not quite, but McDermott needs to prove he can get his team to the Super Bowl. The Bills have fallen short of that goal – much less their larger goal of winning it all – each year under McDermott. While the Bills have found plenty of success under McDermott, they’re at risk of hitting a plateau.McDermott also is now on the NFL Competition Committee. He and the team are confident that the added duty won’t impact his ability to coach, but I wonder if there’s some added internal pressure to get things like the new kickoff right for the Bills.
