Observations from the Blue & Red scrimmage

The Bills had their Return of the Blue & Red scrimmage on Friday evening at Highmark Stadium, which drew nearly 36,000 in attendance. It’s safe to say Bills fans are ready for football to be back, and we’re inching closer to that as the first preseason game is now just one week away on August 13. What’s great to see is that the offense was firing on all cylinders on Friday night. But first, the real story on everyone’s minds…

QB Josh Allen enters practice with red helmet

Josh Allen sent the crowd into a frenzy with his entrance on Friday night where he was sporting a red helmet with his uniform. The only thing that could have had the crowd erupt more than that would be if Ed Oliver came out riding a horse, and even that’s a “maybe.” Take a look for yourself:

For a short time, Bills fans and even media members were wondering if this was the Bills’ reveal of an alternate helmet for the season. But, it was just Josh being Josh, and he wasn’t supposed to be wearing it. Fans definitely reacted kindly to the uniform combo so maybe they will announce it in an upcoming season. Here was Allen’s reaction when an equipment staff member inevitably took the red helmet away from him:

Above all else, Allen knows how to get the people going. His next act for the day was leading a passing game that couldn’t be stopped by the Bills defense.

Bills passing offense looks to be in midseason form

Allen, Case Keenum and Matt Barkley all had effective days as the passing game was clicking in the scrimmage. Bills Insider Chris Brown had this to say following the Blue & Red practice:

“Whether it was the first, second or third unit, the offense found making plays in the passing game almost routine at times. Yes, there were some run stuffs and a few sacks by the defense, but it was easily the best passing performance of training camp.”

This is music to the ears of Bills fans, especially given that the team has a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey. Allen has preached that Dorsey, being a former quarterback, knows exactly what the QBs are seeing on the field, and that seems to be paying dividends early on.

Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis were making plays consistently (Davis had 3 TDs on the day) and Dawson Knox had a contested catch for a touchdown. The offensive line is starting to get healthier, as Ryan Bates looked good in his return to the first team offense at right guard. He had missed five workouts due to “soreness” but looks to be almost fully back up to speed. And, coach Sean McDermott mentioned in the middle of the week that RT Spencer Brown is almost ready to make his return to practice. Rodger Saffold (LG) is still trying to work his way back after his rib injury suffered in a car accident.

Two rookies continue to make plays for the Bills offense

This is becoming a trend for both running back James Cook and wide receiver Khalil Shakir. Both are being used consistently in the offense so far this training camp and they keep coming up big when called upon.

Cook looked explosive out of the backfield as a pass catcher on Friday and showed his burst and his run after the catch ability. Cook has been featured quite a bit this camp, and has even experienced practice reps with both the running backs and the wide receivers, which makes it seem like he’ll get some quality usage as a rookie.

Sean McDermott said that Cook is a “young player who has opened some eyes” at camp thus far.

Another rookie performing well so far and who Josh Allen says he’s “really excited” about is WR Khalil Shakir.

Shakir said after the scrimmage that it was probably the most fans (35,911) that he’s ever played in front of.

The Boise St. product continues to make plays in the Bills passing game, and Sean McDermott called him a “standout” in camp so far. His big play at the Blue & Red scrimmage was a long, back-shoulder catch from Matt Barkley that resulted in a touchdown as he made an acrobatic adjustment in mid-air:

The Bills return to St. John Fisher University on Sunday for an 11:45 a.m. practice time. After that, they’ll have just two more practices (Wednesday and Thursday) before their first preseason game on Saturday, August 13 as they’ll host the Indianapolis Colts.