By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
That’s it. It’s over.
The Buffalo Bills 2018 training camp from St. John Fisher College is in the books as the team will now relocate back to Orchard Park as it preps to face the Cleveland Browns in a preseason contest on Friday.
With that, here are three quick takeaways from the final day of Bills camp:
Uh-oh, Kelvin
The Bills’ No. 1 wideout, Kelvin Benjamin, looked great against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. He had four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. However, things have gone downhill since.
Physically, it appears Benjamin is dinged up. After going in and out of practices the past few days, he was spotted with an ice pack on his right knee following practice.
Last season, Benjamin struggled with knee problems. Both were dinged up. The right knee was the worst of the two as Benjamin had surgery to repair his meniscus to replace it.
When Buffalo travels to Cleveland on Friday, Benjamin will likely not play. The policy Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has taken with injuries during the offseason has been a “don’t risk it” type of policy.
Taron’s turn
Before training camp even began, the slot cornerback position for the Buffalo defense was a highlighted battled to watch. It’s between rookie Taron Johnson and Phillip Gaines.
Early in camp, it appeared Gaines had the first good look at taking the job. As of late, Johnson has gotten a look.
The battle could be turning into a rotation like the quarterback and center battles. Nickel corner should officially be monitored on Friday vs. the Browns.
On the QB battle: AJ McCarron took first-team reps on Wednesday, switching with Nathan Peterman once again. Peterman fell to the third-team and for the third-straight practice, rookie Josh Allen took all the reps with the second-stringers.
Depth LB emerging
Just prior to the start of camp, Keenan Robinson was added to the Bills’ depth at linebacker. He’s getting a good look at the final 53-man roster.
On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, unprompted, mentioned Robinson as a key player in the battle with Tanner Vallejo and Julian Stanford to be the Bills’ second-string middle linebacker behind rookie Tremaine Edmunds. Robinson’s responsibilities skyrocketed on Wednesday.
He took over Matt Milano’s spot as the starting weakside linebacker.
During camp, Ramon Humber has gotten a look at Milano’s spot as well. He won’t be cut, but there’s a chance Milano takes a backseat if he doesn’t improve before opening day.
Up next: The Bills will likely have a walk-through practice on Thursday before heading to Cleveland for their second preseason contest against the Browns.