PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The final stop on my eight-camp swing through the Great Lakes is here, with a flight to Seattle on tap for tonight. Here’s what we’ve got from Bills training camp …
• The Bills have plenty of balance in the weapons they’ve put around Josh Allen. Khalil Shakir, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Curtis Samuel, James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson have all shown they can play, and there are newcomers like Joshua Palmer sprinkled in that’ll likely have roles, too. To me, the next question then becomes: What will come of second-year receiver Keon Coleman? When he was drafted, he was three weeks away from being of drinking age, and he’s had some growing up to do. The hope is that Coleman becomes more consistent, with the belief that he could evolve into a Marques Colston-type player if it all comes together for him. Now, he’s not the only one in the skill group with room to grow. Kincaid certainly has some untouched ceiling. Cook might too. But Coleman’s the one capable of making the biggest jump.
• The offensive line returns pretty much everyone, backups included. But if there’s an area where the Bills might look to add depth, this is it. And that underscores the limited number of loose ends for the Bills. One that is lingering is Cook’s contract situation. To his credit, the fourth-year star showed up in top shape and has effectively been able to compartmentalize his situation. You wouldn’t know there’s a problem, given the camp he’s having. That, of course, doesn’t mean that something gets done. If the sides can reach a deal, there’s a sizable gap to be bridged, even with some progress made in the negotiation, and I’d think it’d happen right before the start of the season. I do get the sense that Cook wants to be in Buffalo long-term, so we’ll see if there’s a compromise to be had.
• The group to watch through camp has been, and will continue to be, the defensive line. The Bills have a couple of foundation pieces in Gregory Rousseau and Ed Oliver locked up long-term. A couple of mainstays, DaQuan Jones and A.J. Epenesa, are back, too. From there, you’ve got a lot of new faces. Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi entered as free agents. T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson and Deone Walker arrived via the draft. With Bosa, much comes down to health, and he could well be at his best on the Von Miller plan from last year (the Bills got more from him by limiting his snaps). Meanwhile, both Sanders and Walker were once thought of as first-round talents. Some football-makeup questions dropped Sanders, and a back injury the massive Walker played through affected his tape over his final college season, but both have a ton of talent. And while it’s not ideal that Hoecht and Ogunjobi are suspended for the season’s first six weeks, it could open the door for the young guys to play more, and lead to the team having a ton of depth by the end of the season. Which is to say, there are ifs with this group, and a ton of talent and promise.
• Corner is another spot to watch. Christian Benford is locked in at one spot. Taron Johnson’s the nickel. The other is up for grabs. First-rounder Maxwell Hairston has been battling old friend Tre’Davious White (back in Buffalo, with a renewed outlook on football and appreciation for this place) for the job. Hairston, though, suffered a non-contact knee injury on Tuesday, so his status could be in flux (the Bills are pretty nicked up in general right now). If he’s out for an extended period, that could open the door for another rookie, sixth-rounder Dorian Strong. He’s a long, aggressive corner who will at least have a role on special teams. He has also shown he might be able to do more than just that in his first year. Strong is one to keep an eye on, even if Hairston’s not out.
• Would you buy that punter is a big question here? The Bills had Brad Robbins and Jake Camarda battling for the job. They needed a roster spot, so they cut Camarda last year. Robbins, who was the Bengals’ punter in 2023, still needs to show he can hold down that position. Other than that? Matt Milano’s health is a question mark. Whether Cole Bishop can take a step forward in Year 2, next to Taylor Rapp at safety, is another question.
There just aren’t many things for the Bills to work out position-wise, which is a sign of the quality roster Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have assembled. This is the Josh Allen 2.0 era for the Bills. It’s amazing how effectively they’ve been able to reset after taking their salary-cap medicine last year. As for Allen? You can see the comfort level he has at the head of the table. Here’s a prediction: He’s going to be really, really good again. It’s at the point where everything, from the way he leads to how he’s playing in practice, looks so effortless. There was a wounded duck of a throw he made Tuesday under pressure on a corner route. It wobbled and didn’t look right coming out, going toward a target 50 or 60 yards away. You’re thinking, No way this gets there. Sure enough, it landed right in undrafted free agent Stephen Gosnell’s chest plate for a touchdown. Which, to me, was a good example of how Allen has it all working right now.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bills Training Camp 2025: It’s the Josh Allen 2.0 Era in Buffalo.