By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills wrapped up their 2019 spring practices and pending some off-field situations that could happen, we won’t hear from the team until late July once training camp rolls around.
Most of the position battles will kick into another gear when camp comes around, but things are already starting to take off.
With that, here’s our stock report for Bills players following minicamp and organized team activities:
Stock up
Devin Singletary
Singletary might be the biggest winner of anyone through the spring. As a rookie joining a locker room with established NFL running backs in LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore and even TJ Yeldon, it wouldn’t have been a shock if he was given a “redshirt” year – especially considering McCoy and Gore are only on one-year deals, essentially.
But that hasn’t been the case as Singletary has featured with the first-team offense throughout all of spring practices. Now, McCoy recently told the Buffalo News that he believes it’s going to be his job as a “workhorse” next season, but the way the reps are being distributed, it appears it could be a bit of a committee or rotation approach.
Andre Roberts
When Roberts joined the Bills from the Jets, he had two notable thoughts on his mind. First, he was mad his former team didn’t really try to bring him back after being named an All-Pro returner last year. But in 62 career games, Roberts has 254 career catches, 2,990 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. He wanted an opportunity to add to his receiving numbers and during some of the spring practices, the Bills have given him that chance.
Now, during the spring, guys like Zay Jones Robert Foster, and Cole Beasley didn’t do much work due to injury, so moving forward once the unit is actually healthy, it will be worth noting if he’s still seeing reps with the first or second-team offense in training camp.
Dawson Knox
Knox is getting an opportunity because of injury and it’s unfortunate to see Tyler Kroft missing significant time. Furthermore, Jason Croom (hamstring) is also out. But there’s no reason to knock Knox for seizing his opportunity. Knox was essentially the team’s starter with those two out during the spring. The rookie made the highlight play of OTAs with a nice one-handed grab, but his continued run with the starting offense will allow him to keep building chemistry with Allen that others just don’t have, such as a guy like Kroft who’s slated to be out until the regular season. Could Knox show enough rapport with Allen to become the No. 1 regardless of Kroft’s health?
Siran Neal
Neal’s emergence this spring essentially came out of nowhere because many didn’t expect the new opportunities he’s getting. At the end of training camp last year, he didn’t stand out at all but still made the roster as a rookie. Now Neal is seeing an opportunity in the slot cornerback position as the “big nickel” corner and found his way into the backfield a few times. Of course, there isn’t any tackling this early in the offseason, but if Neal continues to impress, he could surpass a guy like Rafael Bush as a backup safety and slot corner on the team’s roster.
Levi Wallace
Unlike others, Wallace hasn’t made big plays during spring practices. But as a cornerback, that can be a good thing, right? The second-year pro that was Buffalo’s starting cornerback through the last seven games of 2018 across from Tre’Davious White has been exactly that throughout the spring. Recently signed veterans E.J. Gaines and Kevin Johnson haven’t seen nearly as much run with the starters to this point.
But this battle certainly isn’t over and regardless, it’s a good thing. The Bills have been burned in recent years by a lack of depth at this position. Not the case in 2019.
Stock down
Jason Croom
Croom was previously mentioned, and because of him, Knox’s stock is improving. But as compared to other players suffering injuries, Croom isn’t a lock and needs to get on the field. After signing Jake Fisher earlier this offseason and then landing with Lee Smith, it appears Buffalo wants at least one strong blocker on the edge of the offensive line. So there’s one roster spot taken.
Knox is a rookie third-round pick, so he’ll be the second tight end. Kroft seems likely to get his shot, too, which makes three. Is there room for Croom? Once training camp rolls around, he has to get on the field, stay on the field, and flash even more than he did at the end of the 2018 season.
Eddie Yarbrough
For the past few seasons, Yarbrough has held down the fort as Buffalo’s fourth defensive end in the D-line rotation. Reports from spring practices show he’s further down the pecking order now. Yarbrough has shown well as a run defender, but the Bills need to improve their pass-rushing prowess and Yarbrough has struggled in that category. That final spot behind Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson is a toss-up right now. Eli Harold, Mike Love and seventh-round rookie Darryl Johnson all will factor into this discussion later this summer.
Tyree Jackson
Like Croom, Jackson’s lack of action has his stock down. But Jackson isn’t even injured, that’s the problem. He’s there, but Jackson just isn’t getting much of any playing time according to various reports, most notably via WKBW-TV, which puts Jackson’s stock into question in a huge way.
In the past, the Bills haven’t been shy about keeping only two quarterbacks. But then again, they’ve been burned by that, such as the time Joe Webb entered a game in 2017. But that’s not a knock on Webb. Instead, it’s a tip of the cap. Webb had even started in the NFL during a playoff game prior to playing quarterback for the Bills in an emergency situation. If Buffalo only kept Josh Allen and Matt Barkley, it could turn to other positions such as Micah Hyde, a talented quarterback in high school, but nothing close to the resume of Webb.
So back to Jackson: Could Buffalo risk putting him on the practice squad? Teams can try to claim him. Or could they just let him slide onto the roster as a project regardless of practice reps? Take note of that during training camp.