The open practice portion of Buffalo Bills 2016 Training Camp closed with a night session on Monday at St. John Fisher College, and there were a number of positives to come out of the evening. A number of quality players who had been sitting out due to injury returned, and although some either sat or left early due to injuries of their own, those are all considered to be minor. Here’s what was trending prior to, during, and immediately after practice.
- Return of the wounded: Greg Salas (hamstring), Richie Incognito (ribs), Nickell Robey-Coleman (ankle), and Seantrel Henderson (NFI-Crohn’s) all returned to practice tonight. Aaron Williams (concussion protocol), Kolby Listenbee (NFI-sports hernia surgery), Cordy Glenn (ankle), and Shaq Lawson (shoulder) all did conditioning work on the side field. Henderson drew praise from Rex Ryan prior to practice, and then Ryan put his money where his mouth was by having Henderson rotate in for Jordan Mills during 11-on-11.
- Revenge of the wounds: Cardale Jones (shoulder soreness) and Mike Gillislee (concussion protocol) were non-participants tonight. Ryan stated what most had been assuming was the running back depth chart, calling Gillislee the probable number 2 back behind LeSean McCoy. Speaking of Shady, he injured his right hand or wrist during 11-on-11 and voluntarily removed himself from practice. The injury did not seem serious, however.
- Rex discusses personnel: Although he refused to comment on Marcell Dareus’s Captain and Tennille-inspired photograph (“I have nothing more to say about that”), Ryan did provide some insight regarding a few key position battles. He mentioned Ryan Groy as the leader for the job as the swing guard/center, making his roster spot seem a bit more solid than Fernando Velasco’s. He also mentioned that the plan with Reggie Bush is not to “run his legs off” early on, implying that while Mike Gillislee might be the nominal RB2 for now, it may be a job that Bush takes in the future. He also talked about how well the team has handled adversity, mentioning how impressed he has been with their focus and work ethic.
- Other non-injury related non-participants: Stephon Gilmore was held out of practice, and he was replaced by rookie Kevon Seymour, who clearly has earned the respect of the coaches with solid practice after solid practice. Jerome Felton sat today, so Glenn Gronkowski worked in as the first-team fullback (seems fairly obvious, as he is the only other one on the roster!).
- Solid play by the offense: Yes, it was the ones versus the scout team, but Mike Rodak reported that the Bills’ offense made the scout team look “silly.” Tyrod was sharp, completing long touchdowns to Charles Clay, Marquise Goodwin, and Sammy Watkins. The Clay touchdown can be seen here. Walt Powell also continued to impress, making a great catch along the sideline.