Syndication: Democrat and Chronicle
Preparations for the Buffalo Bills’ 2025 season have officially begun, as players reported to St. John Fisher University on Tuesday, July 22. An exciting offseason is almost concluded, full of interesting free-agent signings, high-energy draft picks, and, as always, endless speculation of how the Bills will fare this season.
Training camp serves as a time for young players to compete for a roster spot, to help veteran players regain their football rhythm, and to establish the tone for the season. This year, a general theme has emerged at camp: intense and physical football. However, along with this theme, a trend of injury has emerged, with over a dozen players being sidelined due to injury.
Fortunately, most of the injuries are minor, and the players will be ready for the season. On the other hand, some key players have suffered injuries of questionable severity.
Let’s get into Week 1 of Bills training camp. Covering the day-by-day happenings, injuries, strong performances, and players to watch.
July 23
Josh Allen shared his message with the team as they entered the season.
“Just put your head down and work.”
Allen, heading into year eight, seems as calm as ever, and his teammates are picking up on it.
“He’s not coming here unprepared. And I think his teammates, when he’s in the huddle, they’re as calm as ever just having Josh Allen in there,” said GM Brandon Beane.
Allen discussed his goal to improve even further from his MVP season, aiming to put the ball in harm’s way less and to learn from his missed opportunities last year.
Recently signed DE Joey Bosa made his return to the practice field after suffering a calf injury and spending most of his time at OTAs on the sideline. “It ended up being a very minor thing,” Bosa said. Bosa also discussed how being in Buffalo has been significantly different from his previous years, and that he has spent more time with his teammates over the past few weeks than in any other year of his career.
The Bills placed tight end Dawson Knox on the non-football injury list, while tackle Spencer Brown and offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger were placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
July 24
On Day 2, head coach Sean McDermott spoke about the extra attention the team is getting with the “Hard Knocks” crew around.
“They see us on game day, now they get a chance to see exactly what we do Monday through Saturday,” McDermott said. “And I think that’s the cool piece about it. The increased noise, if you will, is maybe in some ways good practice for us to really hone in and focus and get our focus where it needs to be.”
AJ Epenesa and Dorian Williams left the practice with injuries—ankle for Epenesa and calf for Williams.
Epenesa threw a punch at rookie tight end Jackson Hawes after Hawes continued to push defenders after the whistle; there was no larger fight. The Bills’ defensive line appears to be dominating with Deone Walker, TJ Sanders, and Joey Bosa all gaining praise. However, Bosa did not practice on Day 2 as the team hopes to keep him healthy.
James Cook and Keon Coleman shined, posting big plays for the offense.
July 25
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was not pleased with the defense’s lack of turnovers. Safety Taylor Rapp would change this on Day 3, grabbing two interceptions on the day.
Tre White praised the safety in a press conference, saying, “He don’t give a damn. He’s gonna hit, he’s gonna talk and he’s gonna be there each and every play. Definitely a resilient guy.”
AJ Epenesa and Dorian Williams both missed practice. Wide Receiver Curtis Samuel didn’t participate in most of practice, after leaving near the end to work with athletic trainers. Alec Anderson missed most of practice after being removed from practice for starting the first skirmish of camp.
Tylan Grable and Ryan Van Demark switched off for first team reps in Spencer Brown’s absence. The two are fighting for the backup right tackle spot. Joey Bosa had a big day, recording a handful of pressures.
July 27
A rough day of injuries for the Bills. Wide receiver Tyrell Shavers came down awkwardly after a touchdown pass over first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. He fell to the ground in pain, and was carted off. Shavers is now okay and is back to practicing.
Shavers is reportedly putting together a strong case to make the 53-man roster this season. His case is further propelled by the sheer number of injuries stacking up on the Bills. Curtis Samuel missed practice again, and Elijah Moore sat out with a leg injury.
Another notable player to miss practice as LB Terrel Bernard, however, AJ Epenesa made his return to practice.
Keon Coleman had a big day today. A practice full of leaping grabs in traffic left the Bills’ players, staff, and fans hopeful for a big year two.
July 28
Pads came on. A scorching day in Rochester provided the perfect setting for the first day of contact. Sean McDermott had this message when asked what he wants to see from his players: “Nasty, physical football”. McDermott went on to say what he doesn’t like. “I don’t want to see disrespect for a man’s career and dirty football… that’s not how we play in Buffalo.”
Injuries started to pile up this day, with 11 players missing practice due to injury. The injury list now included tight end Dalton Kincaid and kicker Tyler Bass. Kincaid injured the same knee that he had hurt late in the season last year. At the same time, it is unclear that the injury is related.
Big plays from Christian Benford was a trend today, and have been throughout the entire camp, proving to the Bills why they re-signed him to a four-year deal in the offseason. While Benford locks down the first corner spot, the battle for CB2 is heating up between Maxwell Hairston and Tre’Davious White. Taron Johnson noted in an interview just how competitive the defensive back room has been this season. This includes the fight for the depth in the room, with rookies Dorian Strong and Jordan Hancock going at it with known commodities like Dane Jackson and Ja’Marcus Ingram.
July 29
The headline of the day was Hairston going down with a non-contact knee injury during drills. He went down and was helped up by Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford. White hugged him, and he was helped off the field. Christian Benford had this to say on the situation:
“I was upset, because that’s somebody that’s like a pure-hearted kid, somebody that you work with off the field so much, you put in so much time with ’em and then they fall like that, something happen to ’em… You never want that to happen. You never want to see that happen. You don’t even pray that on your worst enemies.”
The injury bug continued that day. OL Mike Edwards, WR KJ Hamler, OL Alec Anderson, and DT DeWayne Carter all missed practice due to injury. Cole Bishop also left the field with an injury.
Matt Milano has been one of the shining stars for the defense in this Bills training camp. He has put together an intense camp and intercepted a pass on Day 6. Tre White made plays as well. It’s great to see two all-time Bills players looking to bounce back from injury-riddled seasons.
Undrafted WR Stephen Gosnell is a player to watch. He made multiple plays on Day 6 with the plethora of injuries giving him an opportunity. One play was a long-ball touchdown from Josh Allen.
July 31
All of the Bills’ stakeholders let out a sigh of relief on Day 7 of camp. It was reported that Maxwell Hairston suffered only an LCL Sprain, avoiding catastrophe. Bobby Babich spoke about the plan in the meantime while Haiston was absent.
“We certainly have walkthroughs. We have things that he can do during practice, and those types of things, when he’s available, but it’s hard to simulate game speed,” Babich said. “You can’t simulate the physicality of the NFL. So certainly, going to be an adjustment period there, but we’ll have a plan.”
Other cornerbacks, such as Dane Jackson and Dorian Strong, will get more reps in the meantime.
Something to make you smile, though: Babich spoke about just how confident Tre White is this season, saying, “Tre is on a mission”.
White had this to say about his performance: “I feel like my work speaks for itself. The work that I put in, I put a lot of hard work into it. I worked extremely hard, It’s not going to be a surprise to me or nobody that’s seen my work. And I pride myself on putting my best foot forward.”
Dawson Knox made his return on this day. He said he tweaked his leg running on his own, and wanted to take it very slowly so as not to make anything worse.
There was a considerable red zone period, and Keon Coleman had himself another big day. Linebacker Shaq Thompson has been playing with the first team in Terrel Bernard’s absence and is a serious candidate to make the final roster.
The not-practicing list was long. Alec Anderson underwent a minor knee surgery, sidelining him, and he is expected to be week-to-week. Spencer Brown was working to the side, and other players not practicing included Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Curtis Samuel, Kaden Prather, Sedrick Van Pran Granger, and Tyler Bass.
August 1 – Blue & Red Scrimmage
Nearly 40,000 fans showed up and filled the main bowl of Highmark Stadium for the final Blue & Red scrimmage in the current stadium. Not bad for a practice.
As usual, Josh Allen trotted out in a special helmet. This year, it was the red helmet revealed to be worn in Week 18 against the NY Jets, commemorating the final regular season game before moving into the new stadium. However, fans saw little of Josh Allen, as he participated in a series of 7-on-7 and then sat for the rest of the night.
Keon Coleman had himself an intriguing day. He had a couple bad drops to start, and then bounced back from that point. He went up to make grabs over Christian Benford, and Dane Jackson twice. He climbed the ladder and utilized his lengthy frame to go up and make big grabs for significant gains.
There were two injuries on the day, with LB Shaq Thompson and WR Khalil Shakir both exiting early. Shakir got his ankle rolled up and limped off the field, and Thompson exited about an hour into the practice with trainers. Shakir has been ruled as week-to-week with a high ankle sprain.
The highlight of the day, at least in my opinion, was running back Ray Davis acting as kicker for the Bills as Tyler Bass dealt with soreness. Davis attempted three kicks from 28 yards out, and made two of three.
August 3
New additions to the injury club were Reggie Gilliam, Taylor Rapp, Shaq Thompson, and Khalil Shakir. On the bright side, RT Spencer Brown returned to practice from the PUP list, and LB Terrel Bernard got back onto the field as well. Sean McDermott also labeled Shakir and Maxwell Hairston as week-to-week. McDermott spoke about adjusting the practice schedule, with the hope that players will stay healthy.
“What we’ve tried to do is pull back on some things in the hopes of getting some numbers back, that hasn’t helped, so we’re moving forward,” he said.
A.J. Epenesa had himself a day, recording a pick six. He also batted a pass down later in the practice. Epenesa reportedly found Dion Dawkins after practice in hopes of discussing a few reps that had gone poorly.
“We were just talking technique a little bit because there were two run plays in particular that I just have stuck in my brain right now, my technique wasn’t very solid, and I allowed Dion to get underneath my pads a little bit,” Epenesa said.
Wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson has been receiving numerous opportunities, working with the first team during the team’s ongoing injury issues.
Running back James Cook sat out of practice. He was seen riding the exercise bike with injured teammates for a short period, wearing Bills gear. When asked if it was his choice not to practice, if he was holding out, or if he planned to practice Monday, he would give the astounding answer: “Business”.
It appears that the Cook saga will continue amid contract negotiations between him and the Bills.
Here’s an updated list of all who sat out of practice on August 3 due to injury:
- OL Alec Anderson
- OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
- S Cole Bishop
- CB Maxwell Hairston
- LB Dorian Williams
- WR Curtis Samuel
- WR Kaden Prather
- LB Shaq Thompson
- K Tyler Bass
- S Taylor Rapp
- WR Joshua Palmer
- FB Reggie Gilliam
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