By Kyle Silagyi / billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills’ voluntary OTAs concluded last Thursday. The Bills will start mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the team’s final set of practices before training camp in July.
A few storylines may make themselves apparent at minicamp, storylines that will be further developed at next month’s camp. Some players may breakout at this week’s practices while others may underperform. We’re not sure what we’re going to see at minicamp just yet, but there are a few scenarios that Buffalo would love to see come to fruition this week.
Here are three things that the Bills would love to see at minicamp.
Consistency from Josh Allen
Josh Allen had the opportunity to silence his doubters at Buffalo’s recent OTAs. At times, he did silence his critics. Bleacher Report’s Chris Simms reported that Allen was “wowing on all levels” at organized team activities. Those in attendance at OTAs saw a few “wow” throws from Allen in which he put his much-touted arm strength on display.
Allen wasn’t flawless at OTAs, however. He lacked consistency, often following up a “wow” throw with an inaccurate pass. Allen practiced with the third team throughout organized team activities, and he’ll likely stick with the threes throughout minicamp.
Consistency is something that the Bills would love to see from Allen at minicamp. While Buffalo would love to see consistent greatness from the 7th overall pick in the 2018 draft, that simply cannot be expected out of a rookie quarterback. Instead of a “wow” pass followed up by a forgettable one, the Bills would likely rather see consistent decision-making and execution from their presumptive franchise quarterback.
Coach Sean McDermott is open to giving Allen reps with the first team. If Allen shows consistency at minicamp, perhaps he’ll see an increase in playing time at next month’s training camp.
More of the same from Tremaine Edmunds
While much of the talk out of Buffalo’s OTAs surrounded Allen, the team’s other first-round pick arguably made a larger impact throughout the practices.
Unlike Allen, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is already a presumptive starter. The Bills allowed Preston Brown to sign elsewhere in free agency, leaving the team with a glaring hole at the middle linebacker position. Edmunds was the No. 1 middle linebacker on Buffalo’s depth chart immediately after being selected.
Edmunds entered offseason workouts with a large amount of hype surrounding him, and he’s been able to live up to expectations thus far. He’s impressed his coaches and teammates with his ability, intelligence, and maturity. McDermott referred to Edmunds’ maturity as “a little bit unique. . . for a 20-year-old.” Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier praised his maturity and leadership ability, comparing his intelligence to that of Bills’ cornerback Tre’Davious White. White himself even praised Edmunds, calling him an “alpha male” before stating that he’s learning the playbook at an extremely fast rate.
Edmunds has been everything as advertised thus far. The 6-foot-5 defender has put his tremendous athleticism on display on the field, and he’s matched this excellence with his character off of the field. Buffalo will likely hope to see more of the same from Edmunds at minicamp and throughout the rest of the offseason.
A wide receiver step up
The Bills’ current receiving corps is uninspiring. The entire unit struggled throughout the 2017 season. Deonte Thompson finished the campaign as Buffalo’s leading wide receiver, and he didn’t join the team until Week 7.
The Bills didn’t make any major moves at receiver in the offseason, either, signing former New York Jets’ wideout Jeremy Kerley in free agency before selecting Ray-Ray McCloud and Austin Proehl in the later rounds of the 2018 draft. Buffalo obviously has some confidence in its receiving corps, and the team would likely love to see a wideout breakout at minicamp.
Kelvin Benjamin is the team’s undisputed No. 1 wideout. Barring any unforeseen changes, sophomore Zay Jones, who will miss the remainder of the team’s spring workouts due to a knee injury, will enter the 2018 season as the team’s No. 2 receiver. However, the depth chart behind Benjamin and Jones is wide open. A player currently on the roster bubble could potentially secure more reps in the summer with a solid minicamp outing.
Perhaps McCloud or Proehl, two players who are seemingly fighting for the same roster spot, will break out. Brandon Reilly, a 2017 preseason darling who was cut before the start of the regular season, could climb up the depth chart with a good minicamp. Undrafted free agent Robert Foster, who saw a fair bit of playing time at OTAs, will look to veer away from the roster bubble with a solid minicamp.