Buffalo Bills Training Camp Preview: The Top Position Battles In Camp
The Buffalo Bills have a lot to iron out when they arrive at St. John’s Fisher College in Pittsfield, New York, on July 31 for the first day of training camp.
The Bills, who haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, made a bunch of impactful moves this offseason. Buffalo will enter the 2015 campaign under new head coach Rex Ryan, despite finishing 9-7 last season — the team’s most wins in the past 10 years. Ryan is a defensive-minded coach who likes to run the ball. He went 46-50 in six seasons with the New York Jets, including 4-2 in the playoffs.
The Bills traded for running back LeSean McCoy, quarterback Matt Cassel, and wide receiver Justin Brown. They also signed guard Richie Incognito, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, wide receiver Percy Harvin, tight end Charles Clay, and re-signed defensive end Jerry Hughes as well as defensive end Kyle Williams. In addition, the team exercised the fifth-year option of cornerback Stephen Gilmore’s rookie contract.
While Buffalo made several quality moves, there are some off-field issues they have to deal with and on-field position battles that they have to figure out.
The top off-the-field issue the Bills are dealing with is offensive line coach Aaron Kromer’s arrest on battery charges. Kromer is currently on paid administrative leave, but WKBW in Buffalo is reporting that the Bills will likely “wash their hands of him.”
Another black eye for the Bills this offseason was the arrest of Pro Bowl defensive linemen Marcell Dareus for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He was suspended one week by the NFL according to Pro Football Talk. Corbin Bryant, Alex Carrington, or Stefan Charles are the leading candidates to take Darreus’ spot in the starting lineup for the opener.
The rest of the article will look at what the top-position battles in camp will be.
1. Quarterback: The No. 1 question that the Bills will have to answer during training camp is who is their starting quarterback. E.J. Manuel and Matt Simms will battle with Taylor and Cassel for the team’s starting job.
According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, the Bills entered offseason workouts with a three-way race between Manuel, Taylor, and Cassel and no one gained separation though Manuel reportedly showed improvement while Cassel struggled.
2. Wide Receiver: Sammy Watkins is the team’s top receiver after hauling 65 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie campaign. The question is who will emerge as the team’s second option at the position?
Percy Harvin and Robert Woods are expected to be the main two guys battling for the No. 2 slot while Chris Hogan, Marcus Easley, Marquise Goodwin, Justin Lewis, Deonte Thompson, Dez Lewis, Marcus Thigpen, and Marcus Thornton are also in the mix for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Harvin had 53 receptions for 483 yards last year with the Jets and Seattle Seahawks. He also returned punts and kickoffs with both teams, compiling a total of 778 in return yards. Woods hauled in 65 catches for 699 yards and five touchdowns.
3. Right Tackle: Cyrus Kouandjio vs. Seantrel Henderson. ESPN’s Mike Rodak is reporting that Henderson, 23, had a bad spring.
“He went from a 16-game starter at right tackle under coach Doug Marrone to rotating second-team reps with undrafted rookie Tyson Chandler during June’s minicamp, the most recent time players were on the practice field.”
Henderson is expected to make the roster, however, as the Bills recently released Wayne Hunter.
4. Strong Safety: Aaron Williams is a solid strong safety. What the Bills need to find out is who is going to be the team’s free safety? Duke Williams, Corey Graham, and Baccardi Rambo are all in contention for the starting spot.
Williams, 24, was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Bills. He registered 53 tackles last year to go along with one interception. Graham, 30, had 65 tackles and two interceptions last year while Rambo has seen limited playing time in his three-year career.
[Photo by Brett Carlson/Getty Images]
