5 winners and 5 losers from Buffalo Bills mandatory minicamp

0
Buffalo Bills Mandatory Minicamp
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Here are my picks for the players who helped themselves the most so far, and the ones who didn't have the ideal start to 2024

The Bills closed out the first part of their preparations for the upcoming NFL season, concluding their mandatory minicamp this past week. With OTAs and minicamps in the rearview mirror, players will enjoy four weeks with their families before rejoining the team for training camp on July 24 at St. John Fisher University.

So, which players have made the most of their opportunities thus far? Who didn't find the ideal start to their 2024 season? Here are my top three picks to answer both of those questions, Bills Mafia:

Buffalo Bills trending up

Chase Claypool — WR

Since arriving at One Bills Drive the former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been sharp — catching the passes thrown his way, being willing to contribute on special teams, saying the right things, and impressing his new teammates and coaching staff.

It isn’t just about the tools and untapped potential with Claypool — we're talking about someone who was able to put together a fair amount of impressive NFL tape, but he couldn't handle the attention that came with it. Chase Claypool's a pretty interesting low-risk/high-reward addition by the Bills, a guy who can be a plan B in case rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman needs some time to adapt to the professional game.

Buffalo Bills Mandatory Minicamp Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
This might be Claypool's last shot in the NFL

The maturation process of young players who find early success is difficult to anticipate and after not being able to repeat the early production at his next two NFL stops and seeing his career in jeopardy, it's certain that Claypool feels a sense of urgency at this point. Claypool knows this might be his last chance to rebound, and it's showing in a good way.

Kaiir Elam — CB

"For Kaiir it's a clean slate” — stated new Bills’ defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. The former first-round pick has made the most of his new opportunity so far, showing up at minicamp ready to perform and intercepting two passes of Josh Allen’s in the first two days of mandatory team activities.

Despite the suggestion that his struggles are tied to not being a good fit for what the Bills' defense does schematically, even when being asked to do what was his forte in college — playing physical press-man coverage and mirroring the opposing wide receiver moves — Elam never felt comfortable or confident, and couldn't play up to the level expected by everyone, from the team's front office to the fan base.

Now with a new positional coach, the responsibility of being counted on as one of the top three outside cornerbacks in the depth chart, and feeling healthy, it seems Elam is ready to show he can still be a contributor to this defense. The start has been impressive, and hopefully he can keep it up.

Matt Milano — LB

After missing most of last season with a grueling leg injury, it was fair to ask how long it would take until Bills Mafia could watch their favorite linebacker on the field again. Thankfully, recent developments out of minicamp make us believe that it will come earlier than expected.

The All-Pro linebacker has been working on the field and gradually increasing the intensity of his drills. It seems right now it's a matter of feeling comfortable and confident again going at full speed, and it's always wise for the Bills’ staff to work diligently with him, not rushing anything. There’s no reason for that, after all.

From what we saw at minicamp and what head coach Sean McDermott has said during interviews, it's fair to expect Milano to be worked back into the lineup as soon as the team gathers again for training camp in a month. That's some huge news for a defense that should rely a lot on its pair of star linebackers to play at the highest level.

Keon Coleman — WR

The Bills’ first pick in the 2024 NFL draft has won over the fan base with his big personality. That hasn't been all, though. Coleman is showing he can play and can do so early on, giving Josh Allen a different target with a mix of size, physicality, dependable hands, and yards-after-catch ability.

So far so good with Keon feeling comfortable with his new team. The Bills have followed the approach that they used with tight end Dalton Kincaid and right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, their two top selections, a year ago — inserting the rookies in the starting lineup, making sure they understand the team will be relying on them early, and giving them confidence they have what it takes to succeed. That's something they have failed to do in the past, making their top selections “earn” their playing time the hard way and sometimes messing with their confidence, when those guys were stuck behind some questionable veterans.

I like the recent approach more than the previous one — trust your scouting department and the selections you've made, those guys' abilities to become difference makers, live with some growing pains but don't mess up with their confidence. They obviously have to be held accountable for mistakes and must produce, but give them the opportunity first. It worked well with Kincaid and Torrence recently and the early return with Coleman seems positive as well.

Mack Hollins — WR

“A glue guy,” said Brandon Beane in a recent interview. The former Atlanta Falcons receiver certainly has made quite an impression since arriving in Orchard Park, NY. Every time a reporter asks somebody about leadership, hard work, and accountability in general, Hollins’ name is brought up. It’s difficult to expect more from a low-key signing like him.

Despite the tough competition for roles and roster spots in this stacked wide receiver room, Hollins’ spot in the final 53 seems safe and his role seems well-defined — a big-bodied veteran wide receiver who will contribute as a rotational piece and become a stalwart on special teams.

Hollins may be someone who doesn’t start or even play a lot of snaps on offense, but will always be active on game-day rosters and contributing, whenever and wherever he’s needed. Every winning team needs someone like Hollins, and don't be surprised to see the veteran carrying a “C” on his chest in his first season as a Bill.

Honorable mentions: Damar Hamlin - SAF, KJ Hamler - WR, Josh Allen - QB, Taylor Rapp - SAF, Von Miller - Edge.

Buffalo Bills trending down

Tyler Bass — K

When you're coming off a season that ended on your missed field goal attempt and you hadn't been reliable all year long to begin with, you better work really hard the next offseason because everybody will expect you to make a statement in your next opportunity. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the case with Bass during the minicamp.

The Bills need Bass to gain back to his previous form, showing the swagger from his early years in the NFL, and playing more consistent. Questions about who has been his holder have arisen, but let's be honest — he has to figure it out and make his kicks. Bass needs to kick well regardless of who’s holding the football for him.

Bass will have more opportunities to get back on track, and, hopefully, he can do so sooner rather than later. The clock is ticking.

James Cook — RB

Don't get me wrong — after making a jump last season and becoming one of the top all-purpose yards running backs in the league, offensive coordinator Joe Brady has stated that the former second-round pick has shown up “differently, in a good way” when talking about his physique. This is always good news, and we certainly can expect Cook to continue to produce in this offense.

With that said, I have high hopes for number four. I believe he can be one of the very best backs in this league. However, to do so, there are two areas he must improve — pass protection, so he can stay on the field more, especially during two-minute drills, and consistently catching the ball, where he left some points on the field with some costly, ill-timed drops last year.

So, back to minicamp where Cook has shown his lack of concentration when catching passes out of the backfield yet again. That's not good news for people who, like myself, believe he has another chance for a jump in production. If he continues to struggle in this area, losing snaps to the likes of Ray Davis (a do-it-all type of back), and even wide receiver Curtis Samuel (who excels at catching passes out of the backfield) becomes a real possibility — one that could keep him away from stardom.

Khalil Shakir — WR

The up-and-coming Bills wide receiver has done all the right things during this offseason, coming off a year where he earned Josh Allen's trust and built good chemistry with the team's franchise quarterback. He's been featured by the team in their two docuseries, “Embedded” and “Beyond Blue and Red” — which shows how confident they are in the third-year pro becoming the team's next go-to receiver.

So, why is he on this list? The reason is simple and unfortunate at the same time. Shakir was nicked up on the first day of the minicamp and lost some valuable early opportunities to show the new guys he's ahead in the pecking order due to his well-established connection with Josh Allen.

Buffalo Bills Mandatory Minicamp Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
Khali Shakir could have been leading the WR pack already

It's not like Shakir is in danger of losing his spot among the team's top three wide receivers, and it seems as though he should be recovered in time for the training camp. However, it's never good to open a door in a group where the Bills have a talented high-draft pick, a new veteran who's had success with the team's offensive coordinator in the past, and some other talented players fighting for snaps and targets. Things have never been more wide open in this group than it is right now.

Mike Edwards — S

The two-time Super Bowl champion was signed as a potential starter for the Bills in 2024, but hasn't been able to practice with his new team yet — at least not fully. Edwards is struggling with a shoulder injury that has kept him practicing on a limited basis, never being part of the team's portion of the practices.

In a group that’s added a talented high-draft pick to the competition, and has Taylor Rapp returning with one year of advantage in knowing the defensive schemes and already drawing praise from his head coach about his leadership qualities, the former Chief is probably starting this competition from the outside looking in.

Justin Shorter — WR

What about Justin Shorter? That's probably one of the most frequently asked questions when talking about what wide receivers should make the team. The Bills certainly won't discard a fifth-round pick from a year ago without allowing him to showcase his talents and battle for a roster spot, especially after a year where he dealt with injuries and couldn't escape Injured Reserve.

The former Florida Gator has the size and frame to be an impact NFL receiver — he’s someone who has the tools to be a nightmare for smaller cornerbacks downfield. There have been some big question marks, though — some that hurt him already during minicamp. Shorter isn't the smoothest athlete, struggling to separate. When a player is that big and strong and can't separate, they'd better be able to out-muscle people and catch the ball. Unfortunately, drops have been a constant with Shorter in those practices, hurting his chances of making the team.

Honorable mentions: Dorian Williams - LB, Tyrell Shavers - WR, Baylon Spector - LB, Nic Morrow - LB, Christian Benford - CB

It's still early and making either of those two lists doesn't mean a lot at this point of the preparation. It's always better to be impressive than disappointing, though, and the opportunities to impress the coaching staff so far have been limited. There haven't been any padded practices yet and things can change drastically during training camp and the preseason, but it's always good to build a head start. Time will tell which of those players can keep it up, rebound, or even fail to take advantage of the good start in May and June.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post