6 takeaways from second day of Bills' 2024 training camp
![Bills quarterback Josh Allen warms up with throws along the sidelines as he takes the field during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Wednesday, July 24, 2024 in Pittsford. Bills quarterback Josh Allen warms up with throws along the sidelines as he takes the field during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Wednesday, July 24, 2024 in Pittsford.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3149,h_1771,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/bills_central/01j3nnn8p9e0bznrda8r.jpg)
The Buffalo Bills continued their 2024 training camp at Rochester’s St. John Fisher University Thursday morning, allowing us to inch ever closer to the start of the new campaign. The offense shined yet again throughout Thursday's practice session, with one particular offseason addition being the standout performer. There were even some developments on the defensive side of the ball, with one defensive tackle already building upon his breakout 2023 campaign.
With that, here are six takeaways from day two of Bills training camp.
Josh Allen looked sharp
This may come as a shock, so prepare yourself: Josh Allen is really good at football.
He built on his strong debut practice with another solid outing on Thursday, connecting with several targets throughout the day. We won’t spend too much time stating the obvious, as we expected Allen to look like himself, but it’s encouraging to see that it’s not taking him a considerable amount of time to adjust to the team’s revamped receiving corps. The offense has looked incredibly productive throughout the first two days of camp, with both Allen and the team’s weapons corps showing consistent flashes. Some national pundits questioned the passer’s ability to elevate an unproven surrounding cast in the offseason, but through two days, he’s shown that he’s capable of doing so.
Josh Allen has looked exceptionally sharp thus far.
— Thomas DeLaus (@TheThomasDeLaus) July 25, 2024
I really like his touch on his short to intermediate passes through the opening portion of practice.#BillsMafia
Related: Bills WR confident in team’s ability to replace Stefon Diggs: ‘Everybody can do everything’
Curtis Samuel breaks out
Curtis Samuel was the standout player of Thursday’s session, making several impressive plays throughout the duration of practice. The free agent signing’s potential offensive role was oft-discussed throughout the offseason, as Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady has previously deployed the versatile speedster in a myriad of ways in their sole season with each other with the Carolina Panthers and expressed interest in using him similarly with the Bills. He’s done so throughout the first two days of camp, with Samuel seeing time both at traditional wide receiver and in the backfield.
40 yard pass from Josh Allen to Curtis Samuel with two defenders draped over him.
— Thomas DeLaus (@TheThomasDeLaus) July 25, 2024
Beautiful play.#BillsMafia
Cover 1’s Anthony Prohaska notes that he’s made plays from both spots, particularly flashing in the short game as a wideout. He’s also been frequently used as part of the pre-snap motions that Brady has installed into the offense, which will put him in advantageous positions to succeed come the regular season in addition to creating general advantages for the offense. Buffalo fans have been salivating at the thought of Samuel’s versatility and the uniqueness of his potential role since his onboarding in March; on Thursday, he showcased just how impactful he can be.
Josh Allen to Curtis Samuel on a seam ball roughly 25 yards downfield. Samuel has looked very good today#Bills #BillsMafia #GoBills
— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) July 25, 2024
Mack Hollins sees considerable time with first team
Mack Hollins has perhaps been the most talked about wide receiver off the field at training camp, with Allen referring to him as “one of the all-time greats” after Wednesday's practice. Brady spoke highly of the veteran wideout ahead of Thursday’s session and put his money where his mouth was on the field, giving him significant first-team action as the team’s X wide receiver.
Mack Hollins is quietly a BIG part of the #Bills offensive game plan. LOTS of targets today.#BillsMafia
— Thomas DeLaus (@TheThomasDeLaus) July 25, 2024
This is the second consecutive day in which Hollins has seen considerable first-team action, something that could simply boil down to the fact that he’s an eighth-year NFL player and those competing with him for the role have considerably less experience. The 30-year-old may settle into the depth role widely expected of him as camp progresses, but his early inclusion in the first-team is interesting, especially given the consistent offseason praise he received from Allen and Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane.
Related: How Bills WR Khalil Shakir is balancing his own growth with new leadership role
Keon Coleman takes snaps in the slot
Though Beane has already stated that the team views second-round pick Keon Coleman as its primary X wide receiver, Prohaska noted on Twitter that the rookie took snaps from the slot Thursday, a position that many prognosticators felt was his best fit at the professional level during the pre-draft process. He took 204 snaps from the slot at Florida State last season, per PFF, finding success when deployed from the spot.
Slot work thus far for Keon Coleman today. And doing a good job reading the coverage/leverage and sitting in space. Allen finding him early and often#Bills #BillsMafia #GoBills
— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) July 25, 2024
Prohaska noted that Coleman looked promising when lined up in the slot, consistently finding the soft spot in the zone and making himself available for Allen. While fans may see Coleman occasionally deployed from the slot throughout the regular season, this will likely be a wrinkle as opposed to the norm; Brady spoke on Thursday about the “positionless” nature of his receivers, expressing excitement that several of the team’s weapons can be deployed from all over the field and used in a myriad of ways.
Ed Oliver flashes
The early days of training camp are not designed for defenders—defensive linemen, especially—to flash. Pads are not yet equipped, and thus, meaningful play is not necessarily occurring across the trenches.
This didn’t stop Ed Oliver from flashing on Thursday, however. WGR550’s Sal Capaccio noted that he swatted down a pass at the line of scrimmage early before recording a quarterback pressure later in the session. Cover 1’s Thomas DeLaus shared analysis of a rep in which the defender worked past right tackle Spencer Brown and got into the backfield, stopping running back James Cook before he could pick up any yards.
Oliver is coming off what may have been his best season as a professional, a 2023 campaign in which he tallied 9.5 sacks and 72 total quarterback pressures, per PFF. He’ll look to build on this foundation with another stellar outing in 2024, and if his early training camp play is any indication, he’s well-positioned to do so.
Related: Bills OC says star RB James Cook ‘looks different,’ isn’t worried about workload
Defensive rotation
Fourth-year defensive back Damar Hamlin was an unexpected talking point exiting day one, as he got first-team reps at safety alongside Taylor Rapp. His place above free agent signee Mike Edwards and second-round pick Cole Bishop on the depth chart was a bit surprising, though it may have been only temporary, as Edwards got the bulk of the first-team reps opposite Rapp on Thursday.
Hamlin did see a bit of time with the first team, however, as did third-year cornerback Kaiir Elam, who flashed during the team’s June minicamp following an underwhelming start to his professional career. Head coach Sean McDermott stated on Wednesday that Elam would see some time with the ones throughout camp.
Defensive end Dawuane Smoot, a 29-year-old who inked a one-year deal with Buffalo in the offseason, also saw considerable time with the first team. It’s still incredibly early, and the Bills are still in the process of experimenting with their lineup; that said, early lineups give us an indication of how the team views certain players, so they’ll be worth keeping an eye on over the next few days.
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