Bills Central

5 takeaways from Bills 2024 training camp through three practices

We're three days into training camp, and somehow have more than three takeaways.

David Faux

Bills owners Terry Pegula and wife Kim Pegula are surrounded in the team huddle at the end of day three of the Buffalo Bills training camp.
Bills owners Terry Pegula and wife Kim Pegula are surrounded in the team huddle at the end of day three of the Buffalo Bills training camp. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and
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By now, all 32 NFL teams have reported to training camp, and the Buffalo Bills have hit the ground running. There has been plenty of talk and speculation about the Bills after a large swath of veterans left the team in free agency and through trades, including long-time favorite weapons of Josh Allen, Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs. Tenured stalwarts Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, and Tre’Davious White are also no longer on the team. This led to the aforementioned speculation, and that speculation is becoming far less theoretical and more concrete as training camp progresses.

With that, here are five takeaways from the first three days of Bills training camp.

The safety competition is a true competition

Damar Hamlin
Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin high-fives fans as he runs onto the field during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and

Through three days of training camp, there have been three different players starting in the safety spot opposite of Taylor Rapp (who has been the constant at the position). On day one, Damar Hamlin took first-team reps at safety, with free agent addition Mike Edwards taking reps on day two and second-round rookie Cole Bishop getting reps on day three.

Coming into training camp, there seemed to be no clear answer as to who would start opposite Rapp, who received a three-year, $10.6 million contract extension in the offseason. Hamlin has started in the past, playing a lot in 2022 when Micah Hyde went down early in the season with a neck injury. Edwards has been on several successful teams, including two Super Bowl-winning teams in the 2020 Bucs and the 2023 Chiefs. Some people feel he brings a skillset that fits extremely well with the Bills’ defense. Bishop brings versatility, aggression, and most importantly, youth to a position that has relied almost entirely on Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer since 2017.

The fact that this competition seems to be as open as originally advertised means that the Bills truly want the best man to win this competition. If this writer were to guess who wins, they would probably say Edwards will win and start the season opposite of Rapp, with Bishop being sprinkled in throughout the season and taking control of the job by season’s end.

Related: Bills rookie Cole Bishop gets first-team reps as safety battle continues

This is Bobby Babich’s defense 

Bobby Babich
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich gives instructions to the defense during drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and

Well, at least somewhat. It seems that the Bills are going to start by having new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott both be involved in the handling and play calling of the defense in 2024. After McDermott took control of the defense in 2023 following Leslie Frazier’s abrupt February departure, the defense seemed to maintain a lot of core ideas of Frazier’s defense while upping the ante in aggression. How Babich will influence this style and how he calls games in his first year is yet to be determined, but he is certainly involved when it comes to teaching the players, and making sure all levels of the defense are getting his attention.

Babich was interviewed for multiple defensive coordinator jobs before accepting the job in Buffalo, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that if Babich performed well in his first year, he will become a hot head coaching candidate in the 2025 head coaching cycle. 

The offensive line is shaking out as expected

Dion Dawkins
Bills Dion Dawkins high-fives fans as he heads towards the field. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and

After the departure of center Mitch Morse as a cap casualty, the Bills took last year’s starting left guard, Connor McGovern, and bumped him down to the middle of the line. They also took backup guard David Edwards and promoted him to the first team unit as the starting left guard. There seemed to be some speculation among Bills fans in the offseason that maybe the team would add more free agents to the group or have a draft pick come in to compete for a starting job.

At the end of the day, the Bills solidified their depth with players like La’el Collins and carrying over backups like Richard Gouraige and Ryan Van Demark. It seems the Bills feel comfortable with the starting lineup being Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Spencer Brown going left to right. 

Related: Dion Dawkins and the Bills bring fun back to training camp

Josh Allen looks sharp after offseason work

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

After some disappointing postseason exits in back-to-back seasons and an up-and-down offensive performance in the regular season, a lot was made about Josh Allen “getting back in the lab” to sharpen his mechanics and throwing motion. Through the first few days, it seems that work has paid off. This particular throw to Keon Coleman shows not just a smooth, clean release from the pocket but also shows him calmly going through his reads before finding the rookie wideout in the end zone. It’s an encouraging sign that not only is the mechanical work paying off, but he generally seems to be in sync with full-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady throughout this training camp, as well.

The energy is high

Josh Allen
Bills quarterbacks Josh Allen gives a high-five to new wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and

With respect to departed coaches like Leslie Frazier and Ken Dorsey, the energy level wasn’t necessarily high with either of them. Frazier has always been reserved in demeanor, wanting to be a consistent, calm presence with his players. Dorsey seemed to be a bit of Jekyll and Hyde where he tended to be calm, but certain things would set him off. With offensive coordinator Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich, the Bills have a newfound energy.

While heavily edited to show the best parts, the Buffalo Bills “Embedded” series shows clearly what these two guys will bring to practice and in-season, as well. It’s a departure from previous coordinators, but not something unfamiliar to Bills teams, as others like former receivers coach Chad Hall had energy for days. It’s a consistent theme as the Bills have made their roster much younger, it makes sense to make the coordinators and staff younger, as well, and with that has come a high increase in energy coupled with head coach Sean McDermott’s calm, stoic demeanor.

With only three days into camp, there are plenty of developments to come up as the next few weeks go on, so expect more content, updates, and analysis as we inch closer to the regular season kickoff.

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David Faux

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