This is NOT 2018 he assures us. It is NOT a rebuild
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott met with the media on Wednesday before the first training camp practice at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY.
“We believe in going away to camp,” McDermott said, “to come together, bond, and develop the chemistry that we’re going to need.”
McDermott said that the Bills are going to need a focus on unity and teamwork for a successful season as much of their roster has changed since they last played a game in January when they lost the AFC Divisional Round playoff game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
As the Bills begin training camp, there are some key questions surrounding the roster. General manager Brandon Beane made some big moves over the offseason, including trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs and parting ways with defensive veterans Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White. However, he also brought in a talented group of veteran players to bolster the roster, including wide receivers Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins, and Chase Claypool, as well as offensive linemen La’el Collins and Will Clapp.
The offseason moves brought questions about comparing this year to 2018 when Buffalo started a rebuild around quarterback Josh Allen and has resulted in playoff appearances the last five seasons and four AFC East division championships. However, McDermott said that 2024 is definitely not 2018.
“The way I’m looking at it this year, it’s a little different than 2018,” the Bills’ head coach said that this year is a chance to build something special in Buffalo. “It’s an opportunity, and you look forward to those opportunities, to bring a team along and put a team together.”
McDermott recognizes that with the departure of Diggs, the Bills don’t have a true number-one wide receiver, but he also said that they are confident with the receivers they do have and that the diverse group will rise to the occasion. He pointed out rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman and second year tight end Dalton Kincaid as players to watch.
“He looks like he’s ready to attack this first practice,” McDermott said about his rookie wide receiver. “He’ll face the normal rookie challenges, but I saw him start to get more and more comfortable as spring went on.”
About Kincaid, McDermott said that he’s been impressed with the tight end’s commitment to improving as he enters his second season in the NFL.
“Dalton’s hunger to grow and get better is evident,” he said adding that it’s important for the team to see him grow and improve this season.
McDermott also touched on the return of All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano who missed the majority of the 2023 season after fracturing his leg in Week 5. The head coach said that he will be managed carefully during practice and that coaches and medical staff will be keeping an eye on his progress as he navigates through camp and that the linebacker will be getting veteran rest days during camp.
Looking ahead to the competitive AFC East, McDermott acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead. With tough opponents like the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets with quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to action, and the New England Patriots with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the division is set to be highly competitive. McDermott emphasized the need to develop toughness as a key element across the roster and said that will be a focus this camp.
“We’re going to need to not only get ourselves into football shape, but also build that key element of toughness that we need. It’s hard to reinvent that, if you will, in October if you’re not winning the line of scrimmage so we’ve got to get that done here to help that carry us forward into the season,” he said. “I’m a big believer in that toughness element and you’ll see that out at practice as we move forward here and get into full pads.”
The Bills’ head coach said he knows it’s a long season and there’s a lot of work to be done, but that having the entire roster at practice and healthy on day one was a big step in the right direction.
“There’s many steps between where we are now and where we’re trying to get to as a football team and as an organization,” McDermott said. “This is a critical first step, coming to camp and really winning this first step.”