The Buffalo Bills wrapped up their mandatory minicamp on Thursday and will now be off for a few weeks before regrouping in Rochester at St. John Fisher University for training camp. The team held three practices this week and these are some of the key takeaways from this year's minicamp.
Passing game work in progress for Josh Allen and offense
The Buffalo Bills made significant changes to the wide receiver group and the pressure is now on Josh Allen and Joe Brady to get everyone on the same page. It was evident early on in minicamp that it is going to be a work in progress.
The good news is that there were notable improvements as the week went along as Sal Capaccio with WGR550 noted on Wednesday:
"After a sub-par passing day on Tuesday at mandatory minicamp, the Buffalo Bills offense got back on track Wednesday, striking on several deep balls and long plays."
The Bills only have one receiver currently on the roster who has caught a pass from Allen during the regular season, Khalil Shakir (and more on him later), there was absolutely going to be growing pains for this group. The good news is that as the week went along it got better and ended on a high note with this great catch from Keon Coleman on Thursday.
The last portion of Bills minicamp we could shoot. Allen to Coleman pic.twitter.com/6bRluPbKv9
— Josh Reed (@4JoshReed) June 13, 2024
Injuries an issue during minicamp but shouldn't be by training camp
One of the big storylines from this week was the number of players who missed practices due to injuries. This group included Khalil Shakir, who suffered an injury during practice on Tuesday and didn't return for the rest of the week. Aliana Getzenburg with ESPN had a full list of the players who missed the final day of minicamp:
Bills just completed the third and final mandatory minicamp practice.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) June 13, 2024
Not participating: WR Khalil Shakir, LBs Nick Marrow, Baylon Spector, Edefuan Ulofoshio, RBs Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, FB Reggie Gilliam, OL Will Clapp
Not present: CB Christian Benford (personal) pic.twitter.com/PxSGO7qEbE
However, there was plenty of good news in terms of injuries for the Buffalo Bills as general manager Brandon Beane said the hope is that none of the injuries carry over into training camp.
In addition to that, the Bills were able to get Matt Milano to participate in some individual drills. The veteran linebacker suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5 last year against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Milano is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and a big part of what makes the defense successful. If he is able to participate right from the start of training camp, it will be a big lift for this group.
Kaiir Elam takes advantage of extra snaps
The cornerback position looked a little different during minicamp than it had during OTAs. As Getzenberg noted, Christian Benford was absent due to personal reasons. However, the team did have Rasul Douglas practicing for the first time this offseason after he missed all the voluntary practices.
The one constant though was former first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who continues to impress with his work during practices. During minicamp, Elam had an interception in each of the first two days of minicamp as Alex Brasky of the Batavia News tweeted.
Another INT for Kaiir Elam during #Bills Wednesday minicamp. An apparent miscommunication between Josh Allen and Keon Coleman allowed Elam to cut in front of the WR to secure the takeaway. Two straight days with an INT for Elam, who struggled to get a jersey on game day last year
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) June 12, 2024
The first two years in the NFL has been disappointing for the first round pick in 2021 by the Bills. Both years, he has had a chance to be a starter and has struggled to keep that spot.
Entering training camp, he is firmly behind Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas on the depth chart and will have to really make a strong case to surpass either. However, this has been a great start for him and at the very least can prove he should be active on game days in 2024.
Buffalo Bills make notable change to schedule
The past few offseasons the Buffalo Bills have not utilized the entire minicamp and typically only had two practices during this part of the offseason. However, this year is very different with all the changes on the roster that Sean McDermott believed they needed that third practice, as he said in this video tweeted by Andy Young.
A succinct answer from #Bills head coach Sean McDermott on why they held practice on the final day of minicamp.
— Andy Young (@AndyYoungTV) June 13, 2024
"Because we need it."
They've often canceled practice on the last day, but he discussed why they needed to be on the field today. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/Z6TK4FqjEV
There is a chance by the time the Buffalo Bills take the field against the Arizona Cardinals they could have seven new starters in total on both sides of the ball. In addition to that, they are trying to implement Joe Brady's offense and getting calls from Bobby Babich on defense.
The focus on Thursday though seemed to be further down the roster as Alex Brasky noted that it was a lot of backups, like Mitchell Trubisky and Shane Buechele, that were doing a majority of the work. It is smart for the coaching staff to take this approach as these are players likely to be on the roster bubble as the summer rolls along and will have to decide if they make the 53-man roster.