We are very close to the Buffalo Bills opening the gates of training camp in Rochester, NY. This season is arguably the most important in the Josh Allen era. After falling just four points shy of a Super Bowl berth last year, the team re-hauled their defense and kept their high-powered offense fully intact. They even added more firepower with the additions of Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore at wide receiver.
As the season nears, it feels more and more like the Bills have to reach the pinnacle this year. With the ever-challenging Chiefs still in the way, the Ravens looking even more dangerous, and the Bengals refreshed after a down year, the Bills will need to be firing on all cylinders.
That means putting the best players out there, regardless of experience level or contract value. There will be plenty of position battles throughout this summer at training camp to determine who those players are. Fans should pay close attention to these specific battles.
4 training camp battles to watch closely in Bills training camp
No. 1: CB2 & depth
Christian Benford has evolved into one of the league’s best and most underrated cornerbacks and will return as the number one after a huge extension. Taron Johnson will obviously start at nickel-back, having arguably been the best in the league at that position for years now. The Bills used their first-round selection on rookie speedster Maxwell Hairston, and he is the obvious choice to start opposite Benford. However, we all know head coach Sean McDermott likes to make young guys earn it, so we could see him start training camp off on the second team.
When all is said and done, the Bills desperately need the athleticism, speed, and ball skills that Hairston brings, so he likely will break camp as the number two corner.
That leaves us with depth, which is a huge reason the team failed to make the Super Bowl last winter. The Bills brought back old friend and former All-Pro Tre'Davious White, along with another old friend, Dane Jackson. Injuries robbed White of prime years in his career in Buffalo, and he started last year badly with the Rams. A deadline trade saw him play well for Baltimore. He will be perfect as a depth player in the system he saw all his success in, and a perfect mentor for the younger defensive backs.
After that, it gets tough to watch. Dane Jackson was solid for the Bills and a good depth option, but they could choose to go the younger route. They also have Ja’Marcus Ingram, who has played very well when called upon, rookie Dorian Strong, who looked good in OTAs, rookie Jordan Hancock, who they supposedly have big plans for, Brandon Codrington, and Daequan Hardy. The team even loves Cam Lewis as a safety and backup nickel hybrid.
Outside of Benford, Hairston, and Johnson, no one is a lock to make the team. White seems like a lock, and at this moment, I would consider him to be. That leaves maybe two outside corner spots open, and at least one backup nickel spot open. That leaves six to seven guys battling for those three spots in what will be the largest training camp battle of the summer for the Bills.
No. 2: Safety
There is another battle to look at in the defensive backfield in the safety position. Taylor Rapp has one spot locked down, as he had a very underrated season last year. That leaves another spot open, along with depth, which is crucial, especially with the vicious way Rapp plays.
In a dream scenario, Cole Bishop has evolved heading into his second training camp and is ready to make a big impact. However, Damar Hamlin won’t make it easy on him, coming off the best season of his career. The team also brought in Darrick Forrest, who brings upside.
Before a coaching change and system change knocked him out of favor in Washington, Forrest looked really good. In 2022, he appeared in 17 games in which he logged four interceptions, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles, and 88 tackles.
Sean McDermott is a defensive back guru who could get Forrest back to that level, perhaps even better. That brings it down to a three-horse race for one starting position and two depth spots. Now mix in Cam Lewis and rookie Jordan Hancock, who are both hybrid cornerbacks and safeties. This is an absolutely important battle to watch throughout training camp and preseason.
No. 3: Kick/Punt Returner
With the new kickoff rule, the league is expecting more kickoffs to be returned this season. The Bills have Brandon Codrington, who filled that role well last year for them and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team. They also bought in Laviska Shenault, and have KJ Hamler returning as well from the practice squad. The team likely doesn’t want Khalil Shakir to endure extra wear and tear returning it all season long. Having a good kick and punt returner is very advantageous, and the most dynamic one will likely earn the spot.
Codrington likely enters camp with the upper hand. Last season, he returned 27 punts for 313 yards, good for the fourth most in the league, and only fair caught the ball eight times. Additionally, he returned 11 kickoffs for 306 yards, including a 53-yarder. His quick acceleration and twitchiness are hard to ignore. Codrington also owned the sixth-best punt return yard average last year, with 11.6.
Last year for the Seahawks, Shenault returned 16 kicks for 459 yards, which included a 97-yard touchdown. Although he had two fumbles on kickoffs. As a gadget guy, Shenault brings value to the wide receiver position. However, the Bills already have Shakir, Moore, and Curtis Samuel who could perform gadget plays.
Codrington is likely to be buried on the cornerback depth chart; however, he could show much improvement there entering year two. It will be a fun battle to watch and one that will likely add math to figuring out a 53-man roster. Kick returns will be as important as ever this season.
No. 4: Linebacker
The Bills' top three linebackers are set in stone in Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, and Dorian Williams. Buffalo native Joe Andreessen, who made headlines last year in preseason, stuck all year long and reportedly looks even better as he enters year two.
Baylon Spector enters year four after battling injuries and playing decent at times, and second-year man Edefuan Ulofoshio hardly played last year and remains a big question mark. The team added a veteran and former player under McDermott in Carolina, in Shaq Thompson, just a few weeks back. We know how important linebacker depth is, especially with both Milano and Bernard dealing with their fair share of injuries over the last two years.
That leaves what is likely five linebacker spots for seven players. So the best two out of Andreessen, Thompson, Spector, and Ulofoshio will make the final roster, barring any injuries. As of now, you could assume it’s Andreessen and the former star veteran in Thompson. Spector and Ulofoshio are top-tier practice squad candidates. But this is why there’s preseason, and either of those guys could prove themselves for the 53-man roster. It almost feels like the entire defense is battling this summer.
Honorable mention: Defensive End
When you re-haul your defense in a big way during the offseason, it brings a lot of question marks. The Bills are loaded at defensive end with both veteran and young talent. Gregory Rousseau is a starting lock and a prime candidate to have a huge breakout season. The Bills' biggest addition of the offseason comes from who will be starting opposite him, former Chargers star Joey Bosa.
The Bills like to rotate often on the defensive line, so as always, depth is important. The team also wants to keep Bosa as fresh as possible for the playoffs, and avoid the injury bug he’s been battling for a couple of years now. So, don’t be surprised to see his snaps limited throughout the year. That opens more playing time for the number three and four defensive ends on the roster.
The team will likely keep around five defensive ends, Groot and Bosa are already two. That leaves rookie and high-upside guy Landon Jackson as close to a lock as a starter can be at three. The team also added free agent Michael Hoecht, whom they have big plans for, but he is suspended for the first six weeks. Buffalo also has A.J. Epenesa in the final year of his contract and Javon Solomon, who showed promise in his rookie year.
We could see this boil down to Epenesa versus Solomon for the final roster spot. If they choose the younger, more upside of Solomon, we could see a possible Epenesa trade. However, with the Hoecht suspension opening a roster spot out of the training camp gates, we could see all make the team. The team could also go lighter on defensive tackle and keep all of their defensive ends. Still, it’s a position to keep an eye on this camp.