Buffalo Bills Training Camp: Days 5, 6 & 7
By Ryan Brennan
The last time we covered the Buffalo Bills training camp was after Day 4 — which ended on August 2nd. That means we have a few days to recap, more specifically Days 5, 6 and 7. How are the Bills looking now that we are almost halfway through training camp?
Day 5 came after the Buffalo Bills‘ first day off since they started training camp on July 30th and also began another three-day stretch before their next day off — which is today. You can view the Buffalo Bills training camp schedule here.
As we count down the days until our first pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts — which is August 13th — the Bills have been seen getting a little more serious in practice and putting themselves in more game-like scenarios. The more we do that, the more Tyrod Taylor seems to shine, which is a good sign.
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In Day 5, Tyrod Taylor started to show a lot more consistency with his throws and was much more efficient no matter where he was throwing it. During team drills, he connected with Marquise Goodwin, Charles Clay and Chris Gragg for touchdowns. He did, however, throw an interception to Aaron Williams in the red zone, a mistake that could’ve been avoided if he had noticed the double-coverage.
He followed that up with an impressive outing when the team gave the offense two live drives against the first-team defense and one drive against the second-team defense. Overall, he went 8 for 11 with 89 yards and one touchdown — a pass thrown to Robert Woods for a 36-yard TD. He continues to find his rhythm the further we get into camp.
As excitement grows for the quarterback, the same goes for the wide-receivers and running backs. A number of our wide receivers are competing for that No. 3 spot on the roster behind Sammy Watkins — who will be returning very soon — and Woods. So far this training camp, they have all performed well at times and have made the discussion rather hard.
In Day 5, a name we haven’t heard much of showed up and played very well. That is Walt Powell, who is a receiver and return specialist that has seen time with the Jets and Bills after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. The ball was thrown to him the most in Day 5 and he continued to bring down catch after catch. When Day 6 came around, Greg Salas had yet another impressive day — something he’s been doing each practice so far. Even after Day 6, Rex Ryan was asked about the No. 3 spot and although he said it was still a little too early, he did mention Salas’ name first.
Day 7 saw Goodwin post a 3-catch, 61 yard performance that included a 43-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel, who has easily secured the backup quarterback spot. Dez Lewis and Greg Little also had good performances, with Salas only getting one reception despite playing with the first-unit most of the time.
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For the running backs, we continue to see depth being formed behind LeSean McCoy and Reggie Bush. We’ve seen James Wilder Jr. have an impressive week and that continued on Day 5, when he showed that he could do more than run the ball. He had a good day proving his worth as a pass-blocker, as well as catching the ball in the backfield. Day 6 saw Mike Gillislee really stand out when he ran for a 47-yard gain during live drills. Then, on Day 7, the Bills’ rookie Jonathan Williams had a good day that included an impressive 19-yard run.
Buffalo Bills’ Defense
For the first few days of Buffalo Bills training camp, the Buffalo Bills were lucky enough to not endure any major injuries — other than the ones they already have. After their first day off, however, that all started to change.
Day 5 saw Cyrus Kouandjio sit out of practice, although the reasoning was never specified. On Day 6, we saw our first real “scare” this camp when Reggie Ragland went down with a non-contact knee injury. Since then, he has had an MRI come back inconclusive and will be getting a second opinion on Monday. Also on Day 6, we saw McCoy and Richie Incognito sit out — although it was just a rest day for them.
Day 7, although not defense related, saw an ankle injury to starting left tackle Cordy Glenn. Not much is known on the injury right now, but the Bills are just hoping that it’s not serious. Also, Charles Clay has missed a few practices with an unspecified injury.
Now, let’s get to the good news.
For starters, our defensive back crew is really starting to turn out. The first four days were completely owned by Stephon Gilmore and he has continued that these past three practices, although he hasn’t really made any headlines. On Day 5, Ronald Darby finally showed up to play after having a less-than-stellar first part of training camp. He did a good job of breaking up passes and making it tough for the quarterback to get a completion against the receivers he was covering.
On Day 7, safety Corey Graham had an interception during the Bills’ scrimmage. In addition, Aaron Williams is finally getting himself situated as the Bills add more and more contact in their practices. Things are looking good for our defensive backs so far.
Moving on to our linebacker core. Well, we already know about the injury to Reggie Ragland, which is a bummer. If he ends up needing some time off, there’s not much depth behind him because everyone’s either injured or better suited somewhere else on the field. So far, the replacement seems to be Zach Brown, who the Bills added earlier this season. We’ve also seen Eric Striker and Bryson Albright step into the inside.
Adding on to that, Striker started to see less reps with the first-team defense — reps that were given back to IK Enemkpali. With Shaq Lawson and Manny Lawson both injured, these two will need to step up in case the Bills need to fill any holes come Week 1 vs. the Ravens.
Next up is the defensive line, which has been one of the biggest upsides this training camp. Although Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams have missed time, they should both be ready when needed. With that being said, it’s giving us a chance to see the depth we have at defensive line and so far, the feedback has been great. Three guys have notably impressed the coaches these past few practices: Jerel Worthy, Leger Douzable and Justin Zimmer.
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Lastly, the kicking competition that we don’t have anymore. These past few practices, Dan Carpenter has secluded himself as the Bills’ top kicker. Throughout Days 5 and 6, he attempted 21 field goals. He made 21 of them. Consistency has been his biggest weakness with the Bills, so it’s good to see his foot working again.
The Buffalo Bills will hold their next practice on Monday, August 8th from 10 am – 12 pm.
Do you think we should be worried about the recent injuries? Leave your comments below!