ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mandatory minicamp is not the time on the NFL calendar when NFL stars are born. Every sound bite from a coach or player is taken in the context that the players are in shorts and not full pads. What happens on the practice field in June is not an exact replica of the sport everyone watches in the fall.
But these practices have a certain usefulness, especially for certain players. Rookies and newcomers get to know the playbook and what life is like in their new football home. This helps set the stage for training camp.
And then there are players who need to revive their careers. The Buffalo Bills roster has a lot going on after some offseason changes. Any little bit of confidence can help. That’s especially true for 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who hasn’t had the easiest time adjusting to the NFL, in part due to injuries. He mentioned earlier this offseason that his time in Buffalo was his first experience of real wrestling on the football field. Confidence hasn’t been easy to find for Elam, who has played in just 16 games in two seasons and started just eight.
Recently, defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said it was a “clean slate” for Elam entering year three. He has a new coaching job and the Bills could benefit from a bounce-back season from him. In this context, it’s worth noting that Elam intercepted passes two days in a row to start mandatory minicamp. With Christian Benford out with an excused absence, that leaves more reps for Elam, and he was able to make two spectacular plays against quarterback Josh Allen. His interception Wednesday drew a particularly enthusiastic response from Babich and head coach Sean McDermott.
“His mindset is in the right place,” Babich said of Elam last week.
In a way, veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas has an outside perspective on Elam. Elam was injured when Douglas arrived, so he didn’t see him on the field. He wasn’t there for Elam’s arrival as a first-round pick, his injury issues and the rocky start to his NFL career. These two practices were Douglas’ true first impression, and it was a positive one.
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“He looks good there now,” Douglas said. “He’s sticky, big, fast. He is in a good position this year. It looks great. I can’t say what he did last year. I do not really know. But this year he looks great.
Rasul Douglas explained Wednesday that it’s okay to skip voluntary workouts during the offseason. (Jamie Germano / USA Today)
Buffalo has seen in recent years how important depth is in the secondary. So even if Elam isn’t in the starting lineup, having a more confident version of his 2022 first-round pick would be a nice boost.
• Speaking of high school, Douglas is back in Buffalo after missing voluntary workouts. He said skipping voluntary workouts was part of his typical offseason routine and he informed coaches about it during exit interviews. He thinks it’s important to take his mind off football and focus on his family during these months so he can come back ready to commit during training camp and the season. He said his absence had nothing to do with him entering a contract year and that he didn’t even seem to know this was the final season of his contract. In his mind, it will take care of itself if he continues to play like he did after the Bills traded him at the deadline last season.
“I hope upstairs they think I’m worth something and decide to put some green in my pocket,” Douglas said.
• The Bills signed wide receiver Keon Coleman to a rookie contract Wednesday after practice. They now have all of their draft picks under contract. Coleman also made one of the plays of the day, catching a contested catch against Douglas on a pass from Allen. This was exactly the type of play the Bills had in mind when they drafted him. And doing it against Douglas was also a good sign, because Douglas gave the offense problems the last two days. Given the state of the receiver depth chart, the Bills could end up leaning on Coleman quite a bit. He had two catches from Allen on Wednesday.
• Receiver Khalil Shakir did not participate in Wednesday’s practice after suffering a lower-body injury during Tuesday’s practice. He was working nearby and seemed in good spirits.
• Drops have been a theme for the Bills during a few minicamp practices. James Cook had a few, including one on Wednesday. Justin Shorter had the same problem. This is notable for both players, as Cook had inconsistent hands out of the backfield, while Shorter tries to grab a spot in a crowded receiving room. Gaining the quarterback’s trust is the first place to start.
• Other receivers, however, mobilized on Wednesday. KJ Hamler caught a deep pass down the left sideline from Allen for a 60-yard gain. It was a good reminder that Hamler can not only work underneath, but also push coverage deep. The Bills don’t have a ton of deep speed threats on the depth chart, so Hamler might be able to bring something different if he can force his way onto the roster. Chase Claypool made a few more catches on passes from Mitch Trubisky, and Bryan Thompson also beat the defense for a deep touchdown of about 70 yards on a throw from quarterback Shane Buechele. Buechele has been sharp in these practices. Whether that means he can push Trubisky for the backup job remains to be seen.
• The last memory Bills fans have of Tyler Bass is his missed kick in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed five of his eight kicks in practice Wednesday, and three of them came from less than 50 yards. He also made three field goals beyond 50 yards. That strong leg is what led the Bills to sign him to a four-year contract extension last offseason. But he needs to find his rhythm after an uneven 2023 season.
• Sabers general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff were in attendance at Bills practice Wednesday. Bills and Sabers owner Terry Pegula was showing them around the facility and showing them around the field during practice. It’s a benefit Ruff, a Bills fan, never got to appreciate during his first tenure as Sabers coach, because Pegula didn’t yet own the Bills.
(Top photo by Keon Coleman: Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)