Josh Allen didn’t seem quite as sharp Saturday at Highmark Stadium as he had through the first three days of closed training camp practices in Orchard Park.
But the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback wasted little time revving up the announced crowd of 15,000 fans – it seemed like far more were in attendance – drawing huge cheers by breaking a long run up the middle of the field during his first series.
Of course, wearing a red noncontact jersey, nobody was trying to stop him. The Bills have yet to wear pads.
Allen unofficially completed 15 of 20 pass attempts during 11-on-11 drills, none more impressive than a 10-yard touchdown to tight end Dawson Knox, who made a jumping grab in between three players in the back of the end zone during a red zone drill against reserves.
Linebacker Tyler Matakevich and safeties Josh Thomas and Jaquan Johnson were in coverage.
Allen’s most dangerous throw, a short pass over the middle intended for Cole Beasley, was tipped by Tremaine Edmunds and nearly intercepted by Thomas at the goal line.
Diggs sits out
Stefon Diggs did not practice after sitting out the second half of Friday’s session. The Bills said he was given a day of rest.
Diggs played catch with fans, throwing the football into the stands before the start of practice, a game-day tradition he’s said he carried over from his days in Minnesota.
And he was on the field throughout the afternoon, albeit without a helmet, standing far behind Allen and the first-team offense throughout team drills.
Jake Kumerow and Isaiah Hodgins took snaps with the first-team offense with Diggs out.
Kumerow had one of the plays of the day on an intermediate pass from Allen, tipping the ball to himself before securing the catch and scoring a touchdown.
Starting offensive line
The starting offensive line, from left to right: Bobby Hart, Jon Feliciano, Mitch Morse, Cody Ford and Daryl Williams.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 310-pound Hart spent the majority of the day with the first team at left tackle in place of Dion Dawkins, who remains on the reserve/Covid-19 list, along with guard Ike Boettger.
Hart was a seventh-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2015 and spent the last three seasons with Cincinnati. He has started 66 of 79 career games.
Rookie third-round draft pick Spencer Brown is expected to serve as the Bills’ swing tackle this season, but he’ll have to beat out the veteran to earn the job.
The Bills are still working to determine Ford’s best position.
Last season, he started at right guard for the first two games in place of the injured Feliciano, then moved to left guard after Quinton Spain was released. He played five games at left guard before a season-ending knee injury.
Rousseau gets bulk of first-team snaps
Jerry Hughes beginning training camp on the non-football injury list with a strained calf may be a blessing in disguise.
First-round draft pick Greg Rousseau, who opted out of his final college season at Miami because of the Covid-19 pandemic, received a significant amount of work with the first-team defense in place of Hughes and would have had a blindside sack of Mitchell Trubisky were it not for the red noncontact jerseys.
Second-year defensive end A.J. Epenesa and veteran Mario Addison shared time on the other side. Epenesa was in position for a pair of sacks against Allen.
Efe Obada also blew past Hart and may have sacked Allen on what turned into a short pass to fullback Reggie Gilliam, who was stopped immediately by Tre’Davious White.
Matt Milano also had a free run at Allen on a completion to Beasley.
Darryl Johnson would have crushed Trubisky on a blitz.
Extra points
Running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss split reps with the starters. Singletary looked quick and shifty and had a pair of touchdown runs. Moss caught two short passes from Allen that he turned into touchdowns, but said he still has a “long way to go to get back into football shape” after offseason ankle surgery. Matt Breida flashed speed and ability to turn the corner on stretch plays.
Cornerbacks Levi Wallace and 2020 seventh-round pick Dane Jackson split reps with the first team. Wallace had good coverage against Gabriel Davis in the end zone, forcing an incompletion on Allen’s final throw of the day.
Isaiah McKenzie, Marquez Stevenson and Brandon Powell worked on returns and fared well, committing no notable miscues.
Tight end Jacob Hollister remained sidelined with a back injury.
