A position-by-position analysis of the Buffalo Bills' roster at the start of training camp (2023)

When Sean McDermott walked into spring training for the Bills' 2018 season, he did so with a smile on his face, and not just because he finished the last minicamp game in mid-June.Preis-rookie-field marshal Josh Allenhe threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to rookie Austin Proehl.

Now in his second year as head coach of the Bills, McDermott wanted his team to break spring training light years before spring 2017, when he laid the groundwork and indoctrinated his "process," if you will. He believes he has achieved that goal.

"I'm very proud to be part of this organization, number one," he said. “The second year, when you really go through it, you see the progress and not everybody sees it because it's not always obvious; It's not on the scoreboard, but it's there. We have to score points in every corner of our building and I saw that this offseason. This year we are more advanced than last year”.

As the players headed in different directions for their six-week summer break, McDermott added: "There's still work to be done, but now it's time to hit the reset button and give our players a bit of a break, but back off. um little". Also to step up the workout as we head to Rochester.

you arrive in rochester-St. John Fisher College of Pittsford, to be exact - this week, and how they're going, here's an article-by-article look at the 2018 accounts.

Advance:Buffalo Bill Training Camp 2018: Everything you need to know

Advance:As the Bills prepare for training camp, here are 10 questions for them to answer.

attack player

To start:AJ McCarron.

Reservations: nathan peterman,Se Allen.

The skinny one:The Bills say they have a plan for Allen, but anyone can guess what that might be. In spring training he was almost exclusively with the third team, where he will also start the concentration. If he doesn't move up the depth chart at the start of preseason games, it seems clear to me that the plan is not to at least play him at the start of the regular season and just let him watch and learn. If so, it will be interesting to see what happens between McCarron and Peterman, as there are some in the media who believe Peterman was better in the OTAs and minicamp. I'll wait until they wear pads and then I'll play against opposing teams to make my decision.

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run back

Appetizers: LeSean McCoy, Patrick DiMarco (FB).

reservations: Chris Ivory, Taiwan Jones, Travaris Cadet, Marcus Murphy, Keith Ford, Zach Olstad (FB).

the skinny: The great unknown looms over the noteswith the McCoy investigation ongoing.If he is suspended from the NFL and misses regular season games, the Bills will be in trouble. This is the most senior position on the team, as McCoy, DiMarco, Ivory, Jones and Cadet are all 29 and older. Some might say this would allow the Bills to survive without McCoy for a while, but others might say they're old at the position and McCoy is the only viable player they have. Murphy showed some sparkle in the spring and could certainly fight for a training camp spot. Kadett seems to fit right in on offense with his slick receptions, while Jones won the Bills' offseason Iron Man Award, given to the player who has done the best job of strength and conditioning. The survivability of special teams will be a crucial factor.

or long receiver

Appetizers: Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones.

reservations:jeremy kerley,André Holmes, Rod Streater, Brandon Reilly,Arcilla Kaelin,Robert Foster, Quan Bray, Malachi Dupre, Ray-Ray McCloud, Cam Phillips, Austin Pröhl.

The skinny one:When training camp opened in 2017, the Bills' depth chart at that location looked very different just a week later. Sammy Watkins left and Anquan Boldin and Jordan Matthews joined. Boldin soon disappeared. That said, while the Bills go to Fisher with that mediocre group of players, that doesn't mean upgrades won't be available until the end of the preseason, either through trades or waivers. As of now, Benjamin and Kerley (Slot) look like solid starters, butJones is a big question mark.as a potential third starter, given his odd offseason. Last year, I described the Bills camp beneficiary group as a hodgepodge of mediocrity. Some of the names have changed, but this description still fits.

Advance:The Bills placed wide receiver Zay Jones on the active/non-football injured list the day before camp.

near end

To start: Karl Lehm.

reservations: Nick O'Leary, Logan Thomas, Keith Towbridge, Khari Lee, Jason Croom.

The skinny one:PossiblyOr Brian Daboll Attackhe could reveal the potential in Clay that we've been waiting for over the last three years. Clay has all the tools to be a dangerous weapon in the passing game, but has been underwhelming since signing his hugely expensive free agent deal in 2015. O'Leary is an unspectacular grinder in backup as the Thomas-Towbridge fight, Lee and Croom were supposed to be energetic. The Bills seem to like Towbridge, especially as a 262-pound blocker, but Thomas' athleticism is hard to ignore.

offensive line

Appetizers: Dion Dawkins (LT), Vlad Ducasse (LG), Russell Bodine (C), John Miller (RG), Jordan Mills (RT).

reservations: Ryan Groy (GC), Marshall Newhouse (T), Adam Redmond (C), Wyatt Teller (G), Conor McDermott (T), Gerhard deBeer (T), Ike Boettger (T), Josh James (T), Mo Porter (T), De'Ondre Wesley (T).

The skinny one:Line coach Juan Castillo has a lot of work ahead of him as he tries to rebuild a group that lost Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito and Eric Wood. Miller worked his way into the starting XI in the spring, which was impressive given he had barely played last season, having started most of his first two seasons. He was a good backhand and forced Ducasse into left guard, Incognito's old position. Dawkins and Mills appear to be locked at tackle, so the best fight in the camp will likely come down the middle between Bodine and Groy. Of course, Groy could also be in the mix for one of the guard positions. This will definitely be an interesting segment of the team to keep an eye on.

line of defense

Appetizers:lotula star(DT), Kyle Williams (DT), Jerry Hughes (DE), Shaq Lawson (DE)

reservationsTrent Murphy (DE), Adolphus Washington (DT), Harrison Phillips (DT), Rickey Hatley (DT), Marquavius ​​Lewis (DE), Eddie Yarbrough (DE), Mat Boesen (DE), Terrence Fede (DE). ) , Mike Love (DE), Owa Odighizuwa (DE), Tenny Palepoi (DT).

the skinny: The player to watch is Lawson. This is his junior year and the previous first-round pick has been let down so far, though part of that has been down to injuries. If you don't have a good camp,may end up as a surprise cut,Since the Bills signed Murphy as a free agent, they took a liking to Yarbrough last season, and Odighizuwa showed a little spark in spring training. In the middle, this is a strong group with veterans Williams and Lotulelei along with third-round rookie Phillips, as well as Washington, who, like Lawson, is a 2016 draft pick and will have to prove himself this summer. .

Defender

Appetizers: Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds, Lorenzo Alexander.

reservations: Ramón Humber, Tanner Vallejo, Deon Lacey,Heinan Robinson,Julian Stanford, Corey Thompson, Xavier Woodson-Luster.

The skinny one:Edmunds was selected 16th overall to be the starting center defensive quarterback, and has been since day one of the OTAs. He is a physical freak who can become a star very quickly. Milano is another Every Down player, but that third place is changing. Alexander will have opportunities as a pass-rusher and Humber had plenty of time last season, but there isn't much beyond those two as players like Vallejo and Stanford are better suited to special teams. The Bills expect to play a lot, so the need for three linebackers will be minimal.

cornerback

Appetizers: Vontae Davis, Tre'Davious White.

reservations: Breon Borders, Taron Johnson, Ryan Carter,Felipe Gaines,Lafayette Pitts, Levi Wallace.

The skinny one:White will be looking to build off a stellar rookie season, while Davis is a seasoned veteran trying to bounce back from an injury-plagued season with the Colts. When he can, the Bills are good on the outside as the two can go head-to-head. In Nickel, the fun will come. Fourth-round rookie Taron Johnson and veteran Phillip Gaines shared the spring berth with no clear winner. There are some interesting candidates in the backup roles at Wallace, Borders and Pitts, but it looks like someone has been left out.

Security

Appetizers: Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer.

reservations: Rafael Bush, Dean Marlowe, Kelcie McCray, L. J. McCray, Siran Neal.

the skinny: Not much mystery here. Hyde and Poyer joined the Bills last season and formed one of the best tag teams in the NFL and it should stay that way. Neal was drafted in the fifth round, so imagine him making the team and Bush signed here as a free agent, as the Bills intended him to be a deep player.

special teams

Appetizers: Stephen Hauschka (K), Colton Schmidt (P), Reid Ferguson (LS), Schmidt (H).

reservations: Tyler Davis (K), Cory Carter (P).

The skinny one:Hauschka will remain undisputed after a stellar first season in Buffalo, when he was 29-of-33 from the field and all 29 of his extra points. Schmidt was a midfielder last season, so Carter is in camp to give him a boost. Ferguson had a solid first year at long snapper and will return in that role.

MAIORANA@Gannett.com

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