Buffalo Bills: One question each rookie needs to answer in training camp

Can Tommy Doyle play inside at guard?

After the Buffalo Bills selected Spencer Brown, they returned to the offensive line to select Tommy Doyle. Similar to Brown, he played at a smaller school (Miami of Ohio) and may have a steeper learning curve than players at bigger schools.

One of the things the Buffalo Bills value is versatility and Doyle is someone who has the potential for that. While he did play offensive tackle in college, he is someone who could move inside to guard. This could give him a better chance of moving up the depth chart and having more of a role as a rookie.

Is Damar Hamlin the replacement for Dean Marlowe?

The Buffalo Bills lost long-time backup Dean Marlowe this offseason and will now be searching for that primary backup to Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. The defense has been fortunate that both players have been very durable during their time with the Bills so the backup hasn’t been that important to date.

While the Bills did lose Marlowe they drafted Damar Hamlin out of the University of Pittsburgh and he is an experienced safety. He spent five seasons with the Panthers and played in 46 games during that stretch. The competition to replace Marlowe will likely be between Hamlin and Jaquan Johnson and is probably a coin flip at this point.

Does Jack Anderson win the backup center spot?

The Buffalo Bills final pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was guard Jack Anderson out of Texas Tech. However, versatility is important and Anderson has practiced at center which could be the position he can have the most impact as a rookie.

The Bills don’t have a clear backup to Mitch Morse at center. While they do have some options, like Jon Feliciano or Ryan Bates, Jack Anderson certainly could be in the discussion. If the Bills are able to have an established backup at center, this is something that could pay dividends at some point during the season.