Buffalo Bills scrimmage news: Damar Hamlin returns to Highmark Stadium, Spencer Brown back
ORCHARD PARK - The last time Damar Hamlin was inside Highmark Stadium - “Right up there,” he said Friday night, pointing up to a luxury suite in the tunnel end - his life was in a completely different place.
It was the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the same team against who he suffered his cardiac arrest and nearly died three weeks earlier and he was questioning whether he would ever be able to get back on a field, any field, and play NFL football.
He got his answer as he participated in the Bills’ annual Return of the Red and Blue Scrimmage with about 35,000 fans cheering him on.
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“It was an emotional day, I felt the love then (in January) but to then not knowing the future and not knowing what it was going to be for me, to be able to be back out here so soon, I can’t describe that to you,” Hamlin said after the Bills’ two-hour practice concluded.
“I probably shed tears like, twice out here; just so many emotions, so much love for the game and you should be able to be blessed to be back out here with my team, just playing a sport that I love at the highest level meant everything to me. It was really emotional but it’ll be like that forever, though.”
Hamlin was given medical clearance to resume his career in the spring and he was involved in most of the Bills’ offseason program. The next step was to get into full pads at training camp and that happened Monday, and now the progression took him back to Highmark Stadium. Next Saturday, he’ll play in his first live game when the Bills host the Colts in the preseason opener.
'It feels amazing': Damar Hamlin returns to pads and contact at Bills training camp
“My whole life I’ve been overcoming things so naturally, I’ve kind of built up a process of just keep pushing myself forward in the right direction,” he said. “I get support from my coaches, my teammates, my family. It allows me to just keep going forward. I don’t like to let the past define me, I never have so I’m worried about moving forward.”
Here are a few observations from the night:
Spencer Brown was back at work
When the right tackle left the field late in Thursday’s practice at St. John Fisher University, he was in a lot of discomfort, the kind of discomfort that looked related to his nagging back. He was walking gingerly and my first thought was that’s not good for a guy who had back surgery between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
However, he was in full pads and practicing Friday night, so that was a welcome sight for the Bills who have, at best, questionable depth at offensive tackle in Tommy Doyle, Brandon Shell, and David Quessenberry.
The only two players who did not dress and practice were linebacker Matt Milano and cornerback Taron Johnson, both due to “general soreness.”
James Cook needs to become a passing game threat
There hasn’t been much to complain about regarding the Buffalo Bills offense for three years running as Josh Allen has operated one of the most dynamic units in the NFL.
However, one area the Bills would love to see improvement in is the short passing game, specifically Allen utilizing his running backs a little more than he has.
If this is going to happen, Cook will have to lead the way. When Brandon Beane picked him in the second round out of Georgia in 2022, he told us that Cook’s pass catching skills were the driving reason for the selection.
However, Cook caught only 21 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, and only five of his receptions converted first downs. Granted, he only played 25% of the offensive snaps compared to 65% for departed Devin Singletary so that number will rise significantly this season and with it, so too should his targets.
Bills training camp questions: Can James Cook become the primary running back?
So far in camp Cook has looked natural running routes and catching the ball and Josh Allen has noticed, saying Cook has done well running the options routes that are Ken Dorsey’s offense.
“I think he’s becoming really, really good at those and we’ve got to continue to incorporate those in our game plan and feed him the ball a little bit more because he is so explosive with the ball in his hands, he can make guys miss,” Allen said.
Punt return candidates are plentiful
With Nyheim Hines out for the season, the Bills have to fill their punt and kickoff return jobs. Friday night, as has been the case most of camp, Deonte Harty and Khalil Shakir were catching punts. Two recent additions have been newly signed running back Darrynton Evans and wide receiver Andy Isabella.
I don’t think Evans has a chance to make the roster, though maybe the practice squad. But Isabella would certainly enhance his chances if he can prove capable in the return game and he was also deep on a couple kickoffs. However, in his four NFL seasons he really hasn’t done much of it as he has nine total returns to date.
He’s been an interesting player to watch so far. The Cardinals picked him in the second round in 2019 thinking he could be a Cole Beasley-type slot receiver, an undersized player (5-foot-9, 188 pounds) who could get open quickly and then gain yards after the catch. Instead, he has only 33 career catches as injuries cost him big chunks of 2021 and 2022.
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during training camp, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills scrimmage news: Damar Hamlin returns, Spencer Brown back
