ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bills are back to the business of football with OTA workouts this week.
Head coach Sean McDermott would be first to admit, life goes far beyond football.
Bills players showed up in great numbers last week to lend support to the Buffalo community after the mass shooting on Jefferson avenue, and McDermott says that's changed perspective in his locker room.
"I saw our team come together as one and as you saw last week come together downtown. Listen, we're a part of the community and when the community is affected we do our best to step up and do our part. I think the slogan of choosing love is a good one."
He says that experience, combined with now five full years as a head coach has allowed him to evolve.
"I think you know just being a little bit more understanding this time of year of when guys aren't here, although that is important," McDermott said.
"It is voluntary. They are humans as well. They have things going on... with all the things going on downtown, that leads to perspective. It also leads to perspective for the players.
Along those lines, McDermott said that a number of players are out with either injuries, or for personal reasons. He expects his roster to be ready for the start of training camp in late July.
He says top cornerback Tre'Davious White is 'on schedule' in terms of his recovery from ACL surgery, but had no specific updates. That schedule should have White ready to play by the end of the preseason.
McDermott also confirmed that safety Jordan Poyer is not attending OTA workouts saying that "business is business." Poyer is entering the final year of his contract and seeking an extension. McDermott said they had a positive conversation at Micah Hyde's charity softball event last weekend.
The expectations surrounding this team could not be higher. NBC's Peter King is the latest to name the Bills the top Super Bowl favorite in this week's FMIA column.
Quarterback Josh Allen has emerged as elite. The addition of pass rusher Von Miller to the defense among other additions has also raised the bar, along with an established foundation of success to build on as a new roster starts to come together on the field in these workouts.
"There's a foundation... but you're always growing and always evolving... That's what's so competitive about our business because if you're not doing that, you're not going to reap the rewards of evolving."
The Bills have another OTA workout scheduled for Thursday, and the remained of the offseason looks like this:
OTA Week 2: May 31, June 1 & 2
OTA Week 3: June 6-7, June 9-10
Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16