Buffalo Bills 2024 OTA Diary: Sights and sounds from day one

The Buffalo Bills have started the field portion of spring training ahead of the 2024 NFL season. With that comes their first chance to see the full roster on the field via organized team activities.

Tuesday, May 21 marked the first opportunity for the team to be together in the same place at the same time, and with that came plenty of news and updates on Buffalo’s roster.

On the injury front, Sal Capaccio reported that linebacker Matt Milano and offensive tackle Spencer Brown were non-participants during Monday’s OTA session. Brown underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and is still recovering. Capaccio noted that head coach Sean McDermott called Milan “on schedule” and “closer to training camp” for a timetable to return to the field – although McDermott also said there are had the potential for “(p)aybe some practice work before that.” »

Matt Parrino reported that offensive tackle Tommy Doyle and wide receiver Bryan Thompson were not on the field Monday, implying they would not be able to participate for the duration of OTAs. Parrino also noted that defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and cornerback Rasul Douglas were not present at Monday’s session.

Alaina Getzenberg reported that free agent safety addition Mike Edwards is also “dealing with a shoulder injury, according to McDermott.” – and that Edwards is expected to be sidelined for the “next few weeks.”

While the injury updates were significant following the team’s scheduled downtime, there were plenty of reasons to celebrate some of the team’s new players. As Parrino noted, McDermott was quick to praise wide receiver Chase Claypool, who recently signed a free agent contract with the Bills.

By McDermott:

“I applaud Chase for coming here to see where things are going. … You don’t find a lot of things in the NFL where a player has reached a certain level and then is on a mission right now to get back to what he once was in that regard. And those are my words, maybe not fair to Chase, respectfully, but I’ll just say he’s very impressed with his daily approach, a true pro, high character, smart player, and he’s been a good addition to our team.

We wish quarterback Josh Allen a happy 28th birthday!

While speaking with reporters, Josh Allen mentioned that the number one priority during OTAs will be to better familiarize himself with the team’s new receivers off the field.

Allen has previously stressed the importance of building these relationships, which help establish a strong connection on the field in key moments. Although it’s early, what Bills Mafia really wanted to learn is what things look like on the field with Allen throwing to rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman.

So far, so good!

Early feedback looks promising between Allen and Coleman, but it appears they have yet to establish one of Allen’s key moves: a signature handshake between the two.

One has to wonder if this could possibly include a pantomime involving a winter jacket.

There’s no time like the present, and the Buffalo Bills don’t live in past regrets or past goals. New teams need new mantras, and it appears One Bills Drive has presented this year’s team with a blank canvas to create its own identity.