A rookie makes impact on offense, roster decisions loom: 7 things we learned at Bills camp

Things have certainly changed between the first time the Buffalo Bills held their training camp at St. John Fisher College, to the 22nd camp that just wrapped up Thursday at St. John Fisher University.

When Wade Phillips brought his final Bills’ team to Pittsford in the summer of 2000 to kickoff this tremendous marriage between the Bills and Fisher, they moved in for a nearly month-long stay, and the big decision on his plate was at quarterback where Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson would be competing.

Sean McDermott’s team was only in town for a little over two weeks, and with Josh Allen firmly entrenched as an NFL superstar, his big conundrums facing McDermott are important but a bit less impactful - middle linebacker, second cornerback and right guard.

Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletter Delivered straight to your inbox, additional Bills analysis, insight, stats, quotes and team history from Sal Maiorana

Interestingly, Phillips ended up not having to make a decision. Flutie suffered a groin injury a week into practice, Johnson won the job by default and little did we know but a 17-year playoff drought was underway. Across 12 practices between Fisher and Highmark Stadium this summer, McDermott still has several decisions to make because nothing has been clarified in the three positional competitions which, he admitted, isn’t ideal.

“At some positions I wish one guy would have just kind of really separated himself, per se, but it hasn’t happened and some of that’s due to the competition,” McDermott said. “Both players … one has a good day and then the next day the other one comes back and has a better day. But overall, I think it’s too early at this point, having not even played a game, to make a clear cut decision either way.”

Here’s my look back at what transpired at Fisher during this training camp:

1. Buffalo Bills cornerback battle is too close to call

Kaiir Elam, Dane Jackson and Christian Benford have all received ample time with the starting unit and trying to differentiate their performances in practice is a relatively futile endeavor. Like all cornerbacks, they have made some plays and they have been beaten for receptions; that’s just the job description.

The true telling will begin over the next three Saturdays in the preseason games. Their play in live settings against guys wearing different uniforms is going to determine who wins the starting job. But here’s the thing: No matter who ends up winning, that doesn’t mean the other two are going to sit back and twiddle their thumbs on game day.

What channel is the Bills game on? How to watch Buffalo Bills vs. Indianapolis Colts preseason game

I think, similar to last year, we may see all three players in some sort of rotation, ebbing and flowing with how they’re playing week to week, or even series to series. That’s not ideal, but it’s probably the reality.

2. Ryan Bates seems like the RG starter for Bills

As McDermott said, no decision has been made on anything, but of the three most hotly-contested camp battles, right guard seems close to settled as Bates feels like the clear-cut leader over rookie second-round pick O’Cyrus Torrence.

Yes, the two have been sharing reps with the starting unit, but some of that is due to the fact that Bates looks like the frontrunner to be the backup center in case Mitch Morse gets hurt. Thus, he has had to work with the second-team out of necessity at that position, and that’s when Torrence has been getting the bulk of his first-team reps.

Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey called it “a great competition between those two” on Wednesday, but barring injuries, I would think Bates is going to be the starter Sept. 11 in New York amid an atmosphere, on Monday Night Football, that begs for a veteran.

3. Tyrel Dodson has the edge at middle linebacker

I think Dodson has looked better in his reps than Terrel Bernard. Unlike Torrence, Bernard is not a rookie but he also has minimal defensive experience whereas Dodson has started games for the Bills when Tremaine Edmunds was injured.

His grasp of the defense is where it needs to be, and physically, there really isn’t much difference between the two players outside of the additional 15 pounds Dodson carries. McDermott always prefers veterans to younger players, and unless Bernard takes big steps in the next month, it feels like Dodson is the opening night signal caller on defense.

Possibly working against Bernard is that he left Thursday’s practice with a hamstring injury and was not able to return, so we’ll see how that impacts his playing time against the Colts Saturday and then moving forward in practice. Losing reps not is not a positive development.

4. Dalton Kincaid has looked like a first-round pick

The Bills have given Kincaid a full load of first-team reps as the slot receiver and in two-tight end formations with Dawson Knox. He has excelled in the passing game as a route runner and pass catcher, but he has a long way to go as a blocker.

Part of me thinks that early in the season if the Bills go two tight ends on run downs, you may see Knox joined by either third-string tight end Quintin Morris (assuming he makes the team) or even fullback Reggie Gilliam lined up as a blocking tight end.

Kincaid has shown a nice feel for finding space against zone defenses, and he’s also been highly competitive when he gets man coverage and has to win a battle to release from the line or make a contested catch. He had an excellent final day at Fisher which capped an impressive camp.

5. Josh Allen needs to stay healthy

Yeah, that’s pretty obvious because no matter who the backup quarterback is, the Bills would have a huge problem if Allen goes down. However, at this juncture that scary thought has become a little scarier because Kyle Allen struggled in camp.

Last year, Case Keenum wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire at Fisher, but he was a veteran player with 64 career NFL starts under his belt and you figured if he ever had to start a game, with a full week of preparation and studying he’d be able to at least steer the ship. I’m not so sure about Kyle Allen who has just 19 career NFL starts.

Allen has not looked good, especially throwing the ball downfield, and while learning a new offense can be challenging, he’s been with the team for four months and that shouldn’t be an issue at this stage. The judgment probably isn’t totally fair because he’s operating almost exclusively with the backups, but he needs to be better.

6. Tough calls on the defensive line as Bills roster decision looms

Trying to whittle down this group may be the coaching staff’s biggest challenge. There are players who will get cut who should find work elsewhere in the league.

The depth chart on the edge shows Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, Leonard Floyd, A.J. Epenesa, Boogie Basham and Shaq Lawson as the main group. Who’s getting cut there? If Miller starts the year on PUP, that opens a spot, but still, that’s tough. And additions like Shane Ray, Kingsley Jonathan and Kameron Cline have all done some nice things in camp.

And then at tackle, it’s the same crowded situation. You’ve got Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips, Poona Ford, and Tim Settle in the frontrunning group and there again, the Bills are likely keeping only four. And whichever one gets cut, the Bills probably won’t be able to stash him on the practice squad.

If I’m making this call, I think Phillips is the odd man out. He’s been injury prone, the 30-year-old has already missed most of camp, and both Settle (26) and Ford (27) are younger.

7. Gabe Davis looks ready for a breakout year

I know, we’ve said this before about the fourth-year wide receiver, particularly going into last season when he was coming off his amazing performance in the Kansas City playoff game in January 2022. But Davis looked outstanding in camp, making plays all over the field.

All the concern in the offseason about the Bills’ needing a true No. 2 receiver seems a little misplaced now, at least if Davis can carry training camp into the regular season. He looks confident, strong on the ball, and Josh Allen clearly loves throwing to him.

As for the rest of the receiver room, more interesting decisions loom. Deonte Harty sort of fell off in the second half of camp and it looks more and more like the Bills want Kincaid to be their full-time slot man and they will use Harty in the Isaiah McKenzie gadget guy role.

Khalil Shakir hasn’t blown anyone away but he’s been steady, and Trent Sherfield showed well and if he’s the No. 5 receiver, that’s quite an upgrade from 2022’s depth chart. Beyond them, it will be interesting to see what newcomer Andy Isabella does in the preseason, especially if he can show something as a return man and free up Harty to concentrate more on offense.

Of the young guys, fifth-round pick Justin Shorter is probably making the team, though the Bills will most likely try to get him on the practice squad, but even players like Tyrell Shavers and KeeSean Johnson have had nice moments.

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: Bills roster decisions loom, Kincaid excels as training camp wraps