PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Here are my five thoughts as the Buffalo Bills wrapped up training camp Thursday at St. John Fisher University:
1. Josh Allen won’t be playing in the Buffalo Bills’ preseason-opener Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. No surprise there.
Sean McDermott said the quarterback will see action at some point before the final two exhibition games are played. No surprise there, either. Allen played one series in the second preseason game last year, against Denver, and the drive ended with his touchdown pass to Gabe Davis.
But the question is the same now as it was then: Why play Allen at all in games that don’t count? He’s as highly accomplished as veteran as the Bills have. He’s the franchise and putting him on the field for any length of time in the preseason is a risk that far outweighs the reward.
Allen doesn’t need to develop timing with his primary receivers. His offensive line is mostly familiar enough with him to not require game reps with the quarterback beyond what they’ve gotten and will continue to get in practice.
McDermott said receiver Stefon Diggs also won’t play against the Colts and that “maybe one or two other guys” won’t, either. The coach did say most of the starters will play a quarter, give or take.
2. At least one of the four key position battles entering camp still seems mostly up in the air. That’s not how McDermott wants it, of course.
Without getting into specifics, he made it clear Thursday a starting spot remains up for grabs. The best guess here is he was talking about the most significant of the three, middle linebacker, where the Bills are hoping Terrel Bernard beats out Tyrel Dodson but so far appear to have a stalemate.
By all indications, Dodson has at least a slight edge, primarily because of his ability to smoothly receive signals called by McDermott, who doubles as defensive coordinator, and disperse them to the rest of the defense.
“At one position, I wish one guy would have just kind of really separated himself, per se, but that hasn’t happened and some of that’s due to the competition,” McDermott said. “Both players, you know, kind of one has a good day, then the next day the other one comes back and has a better day.
“But overall, I think it’s too early at this point, having not even played a game, to make a clear-cut decision either way.”
Translation: The three preseason games will factor heavily into the decision of who starts at middle linebacker.
The other position battles are for the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Tre’Davious White, slot receiver and right guard.
It doesn’t seem as if Kaiir Elam has so far made the necessary jump to take it, leaving Dane Jackson or Christian Benford the likely winner. Newcomer Trent Sherfield seems to have a decent grip on the slot receiver role, given his versatility to play inside and out and precise route-running ability. Ryan Bates looks like the safest bet to start at right guard, though rookie O’Cyrus Torrence is very much in the picture and could end up moving into the spot at some point in the regular season. Torrence has plenty of size, strength and athleticism. He just falls short with NFL-level technique, which he’ll continue to learn.
“I think he’s had a good camp,” McDermott said of Torrence. “He’s a young player that learns every day and that’s the journey of a young player. I think you wake up and you say, ‘What hard lesson am I going to learn today?’ And you’ve just got to stay resilient. I think he’s done that and I think he’s done some real good things to this point.”
3. The Bills choose to hold camp here, rather than being part of the majority of NFL teams that do so at their training facilities, largely because a remote location is more conducive to bonding.
Players are together morning, noon and night. They sleep in dorm rooms, eat in the cafeteria and have plenty of time to get to know each other better. McDermott thinks that can only be beneficial, even for a roster that remains mostly intact.
“I think this is a pretty close-knit group of guys,” the coach said. “Ultimately, the locker room will continue to evolve over the course of the season because of the journey of the season. But I feel like we’ve accomplished some of what we wanted to accomplish and that’ll continue to build – that chemistry, that rapport, the camaraderie – through the course of the season.
“Obviously, at the cutdown (from 90 to 53) it will take a little bit of a new identity just because of who remains and who’s left.”
Bonding isn’t limited to players. Coaches are part of it as well.
McDermott, who has an ultra-straitlaced public persona, shared a story that revealed his capacity to show his sense of humor. The players were scheduled to have Tuesday off, so after Monday’s early evening walk-through session, the coach decided to have a little fun with them.
“We finished our walk-through and the players were ready to get a little bit of 24 hours of away from me, away from the football world,” McDermott said. “And I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to scrap the night off and we’ll start the day off tomorrow morning, and instead we’re going to go to the Pittsford Dairy (a local go-to for ice cream), all of together.’ And you should have seen the looks on their faces.
“They all love Pittsford Dairy, don’t get me wrong. We all do and I’ve been there more than once this training camp, but they also like their free time so they were not really happy at that point. So, it was a good little practical joke, I guess.”
4. Perhaps it’s a bit early to say it, but I will anyway: The Bills could have as solid a committee of running backs as they’ve had since LeSean McCoy was on the team.
They have incumbent James Cook, along with a pair of solid free agents in Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. It is a nice mix of speed, power, pass-catching skills and experience.
McDermott offered strong praise for Murray after being asked about him.
“I’m extremely impressed with Latavius and his leadership,” the coach said. “I mean, he’s a pro, he’s a pro’s pro. He’s done a great job just coming in and embracing what we do and how we do things and then adding his influence in our locker room, which has been good to this point.”
5. How much action Damar Hamlin will see on Saturday remains to be seen, though it would be another big milestone in his recovery from the cardiac arrest he suffered on Jan. 2.
Hamlin has been fully cleared for football activity, but the Bills are giving him considerable leeway when it comes to the extent of his on-field participation.
“He continues to be on schedule, so we’ll continue to take it one day at a time,” McDermott said. “I’ve been very impressed by the way he’s handled himself to this point, but we remain working at his cadence. We’re in a good spot, I think he’s in a good spot. You’ve seen him out here every day. Again, we’ll continue to take it one day at a time.
“This is, to some extent, uncharted territory for me as well, and all of us, so we’re just trying to do the best we can to be there for him.”