x
Breaking News
More () »

Buffalo Bills break training camp: Five things we learned

Until McDermott picks his starter, the focus will remain squarely on the competition. However, there were plenty of other things taking place at Fisher during the Bills' 19th camp here, and here are some of the things I learned watching the practices.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - When the Buffalo Bills pulled up to St. John Fisher College three weeks ago, they were a team that had no idea who its starting quarterback was going to be in this 2018 season.

As they pack their bags and head back to Orchard Park Wednesday following their final training camp practice in Pittsford, they still have no idea.

At least that’s what coach Sean McDermott was portraying when he was asked if the competition between A.J. McCarron, Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen has yielded a frontrunner.

“All three are playing well. … There’s great competition, and that’s healthy for our football team, healthy at that position in particular,” McDermott said. “All three have had their moments, both good and bad. The great part about these young men is they’re learning from the (moments) that haven’t gone their way.”

McDermott said July 26, prior to that night’s opening practice, that his hope was for one of the three to clearly separate himself from the other two by the end of the camp, but that did not happen. McCarron and Peterman have shared the bulk of the first-team reps without clear-cut distinction. Allen was given a few first-string reps but has been primarily with the third string, then was mixed in the past few days with the second group, too.

When the Bills take on the Browns in Cleveland Friday night, it’s uncertain which quarterback will start — all three were asked Wednesday, and no one spilled the beans. A logical guess is that McCarron gets the nod because Peterman started the preseason opener against Carolina.

Quarterback dominated the headlines, the tweets, the sound bites and the video clips throughout camp, and that’s not going to change when the Bills get back into their home environment to continue getting ready for the season opener Sept. 9 in Baltimore.

Until McDermott picks his starter, the focus will remain squarely on the competition. However, there were plenty of other things taking place at Fisher during the Bills’ 19th camp here, and here are some of the things I learned watching the practices.

1. Wide receiver is still a problem area

Kelvin Benjamin has been outstanding, particularly against Carolina when he looked unstoppable catching four Peterman passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Behind him, it’s an abyss.

Corey Coleman was acquired from the Browns in a trade last week, but the 2016 first-round pick is way behind in terms of learning the offense and hasn’t done a thing to catch anyone’s eye yet. Zay Jones returned to practice the day before Coleman came to town, and while he has looked pretty good, his lengthy period of inactivity, which included the entire spring portion of the schedule, has him in serious catch-up mode. And Jeremy Kerley is a solid but vastly unspectacular veteran.

The rest of this group — guys like Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Brandon Reilly, Ray-Ray McCloud, Malachi Dupre to name a few — are roster bottom feeders and no matter who ends up making the team, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be much use on offense this season.

2. Center has been a spirited battle

No one pays attention to the offensive line until the quarterback gets sacked or a running back gets blown up. But in this training camp, the center position has provided one of the most interesting competitions. Holdover Ryan Groy, free agent signee Russell Bodine and unheralded Adam Redmond have really gotten after it, and McDermott mentioned it Wednesday.

“A good battle, both (Bodine and Groy) have played well,” he said of the two who have rotated first-string reps. “I like the way both have tried to lead our football team and the offensive unit in particular. And I’ve been impressed to this point, as well, with Adam Redmond and watching him develop and how he’s worked since we’ve been together.”

Replacing Eric Wood is a tall task, and I’m not sure any of these three will perform to his level, but at least McDermott has legitimate choices there, unlike receiver. My sense is that Bodine will start opening day, if for no other reason than McDermott loves Groy’s versatility and his ability to back up at all three interior spots.

3. Linebacker is still an area of concern

I have no doubt that rookie Tremaine Edmunds is going to be a stud in the middle, but let’s also remember, he’s a 20-year-old rookie being plugged into the middle of an NFL defense. He looks like he should be wearing an "S" on his jersey, but he isn’t Superman quite yet and there will be some growing pains when smart opposing offensive coordinators start scheming.

Lorenzo Alexander is a 35-year-old warrior, but you have to wonder how much he has left and whether he can be counted on beyond being a situational pass rusher. I believe his snap counts will be limited because the Bills will be in nickel or dime defense so much, and they have viable edge rushers in Jerry Hughes, Trent Muprhy, Eddie Yarbrough and Shaq Lawson.

And then there’s second-year pro Matt Milano, who had a nice rookie season, but is still an undersized 223-pound player. While he's very athletic with a nose for the football, he will struggle if linemen get their hands on him.

4. The secondary looks outstanding

This was the strength of the Bills’ defense last season, and nothing is changing. At cornerback, Tre’Davious White is headed for stardom, and veteran Vontae Davis shouldn’t be a downgrade from E.J. Gaines, even though he’s older and coming off a severe groin injury last year when he was with the Colts.

At safety, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde have become one of the best tandems in the league, two smart, athletic players who can make plays on the ball. So it’s all good with the starting four, and in Rafael Bush and Dean Marlowe, the Bills look to have two solid backup safeties as both have had notable camps.

The only issue will be backup cornerback. The nickel spot, which is so vital in today’s NFL, remains unsettled and replacing Leonard Johnson will be difficult. Rookie Taron Johnson has been given plenty of reps, and so have Phillip Gaines, Breon Borders and Lafayette Pitts, but it’s tough to differentiate between them. Assuming the Bills figure it out, this backfield should be very good.

5. Marcus Murphy should make team

With LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory on the roster, the battle for the third-string running back job isn’t exactly front page news, but remember this: Running backs get dinged up, especially 30-year-old players like McCoy and Ivory. Of all the backs on the roster, Murphy has flashed most often in my view.

He’s a player who runs with great elusiveness, catches the ball out of the backfield, and he can contribute on special teams as a return man, an area he excelled in during his college career at Missouri. There are other things that go into the decision, namely his ability to perform on more special teams units and whether he can be adept at picking up blitzers. But if it were up to me, I’d give Murphy a chance.

Travaris Cadet and Taiwan Jones are decent players, but I don’t think either is better than Murphy as a pure running back. This is a position where the Bills need some youth, and Murphy fits the bill.

Before You Leave, Check This Out