Stefon Diggs was back, and, not surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills’ passing offense was all systems go Monday.
After a veteran rest day during Saturday’s open practice at Highmark Stadium and a team day off Sunday, Diggs returned to the field for the fifth practice of training camp.
He and the rest of the offense looked ready to go from the start, as the ball rarely hit the grass after it left quarterback Josh Allen’s hands. Allen’s best throw was a drop in the bucket over cornerback Dane Jackson to Cole Beasley down the left sideline. Allen sidestepped pressure and made a quick pump fake before delivering a perfect throw – part of an overall solid practice for the Bills’ franchise quarterback.
“He's a consistent guy for us. He's the leader of our football team,” offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said before practice. "He's got his hands all over this offense. And his legs, too. Fortunate to have him.”
Allen and Diggs also had their usual chemistry, but the play of the day was turned in by second-year receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who got behind the defense early in practice to haul in a bomb from backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Money. 😎@MTrubisky10 | @IsaiahHodgins pic.twitter.com/yNwzJ1GXW1
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 2, 2021
Injury updates
Defensive end Jerry Hughes remains on the active/non-football injury list with a calf strain. Guard Ike Boettger and left tackle Dion Dawkins are still on the NFL’s reserve/Covid-19 list and thus did not practice. Boettger, though, was on the sideline, a sign that his return could be coming in the near future.
Veteran guard Forrest Lamp watched practice from the sideline, while wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders did not appear to participate in team drills. Additionally, guard Jon Feliciano left practice early, although it was not immediately clear whether that was related to an injury.
Tight end Jacob Hollister (back) remains out and is listed as day to day.
Thompson makes a play
Safety Tariq Thompson, a rookie undrafted free agent from San Diego State, came down with an interception late in practice off a tipped pass thrown by quarterback Jake Fromm. Thompson had plenty of picks in college, finishing fifth on San Diego State’s career list with 12 of them – part of 18 total takeaways. Thompson also had 35 passes defensed during his college career, showing an impressive nose for the football.
Thompson also had a fumble recovery and an interception during spring practices, so he’s been around the football early in his NFL career. He’s in the mix along with Damar Hamlin, Josh Thomas and Jaquan Johnson for what are likely to be two backup spots to starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer at safety.
Odds and ends
Retired linebacker Lorenzo Alexander was in attendance Monday, working with some of the team’s younger players. … With Hughes out, rookie defensive end Greg Rousseau continues to get plenty of work. He had a would-be sack of Allen during team drills. Second-year defensive end A.J. Epenesa also had a strong practice, getting into the backfield for what looked like a pair of likely sacks.
Pads go on
The Bills will conduct their first padded practice of training camp Tuesday. Center Mitch Morse planned to get a little extra sleep Monday night in preparation.
“We’ve been really working with these shells on, understanding that the same techniques are going to carry over,” Morse said. “You don’t need to do anything too different, but understand that run period is going to be a tone setter. You have pads on and now it’s big-boy football. Mistakes are going to be made. It might feel a little worse because pads are on. But it’s the same thing. You have to learn from them and you have to fire out full speed. If your intensity changes, then something is wrong. But it inherently does. It will be a fun day, a lot of learning experiences and we’ll go from there.”
The team will then take Wednesday off to recover.
