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6 takeaways from second day of Bills' 2024 training camp

Here are six takeaways from the Buffalo Bills' second day of 2024 training camp.

Kyle Silagyi

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. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and
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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

Josh Allen
Quarterback Josh Allen tosses the ball while waiting for the rest of the team to take the field. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and

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.

Related: Bills WR confident in team’s ability to replace Stefon Diggs: ‘Everybody can do everything’

Curtis Samuel breaks out

Curtis Samuel
Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel (4) walks to the locker room following pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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.

Mack Hollins sees considerable time with first team

Mack Hollins
Jul 24, 2024; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) catches a pass during training camp at St. John Fisher University. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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

Keon Coleman
Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman stops to vote for flats as Stephanie Mirras, Seneca Falls, with her father Michael Mirras, and brother James Mirras ask players to vote for their favorite type of chicken wings during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher Universtiy. The winner, by a landslide, was flats. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and

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.

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

Ed Oliver
Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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

Damar Hamlin
Bills Damar Hamlin leads a line of group of defensive backs in a drill. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and

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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Kyle Silagyi

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