Bills minicamp: Khalil Shakir joins growing injured list, but Matt Milano is gaining momentum

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen is attending mandatory minicamp for the seventh time since the Buffalo Bills drafted him in 2018. Much of that is old hat after racking up 220 total touchdowns and leading Buffalo to the playoffs playoffs five years in a row.

And yet, Allen is trying to find another edge this offseason. He worked again with Chris Hess, a sports scientist who assists Allen’s private quarterbacks coach, Jordan Palmer. Hess can use biometrics to digitally map a quarterback’s throws and find ways to create a more efficient throwing motion.

“I wouldn’t call it a complete overhaul of my throwing motion,” Allen said after mandatory minicamp opened Tuesday, “but definitely some things to work on and clean up, getting a little long with my arm and my stride .I’m just trying to clean this up, and anytime you go through something like this, sometimes it’s going to feel really good, and sometimes it’s going to feel not so good.

“It’s like changing a golf swing. As long as you trust it and work at it every day, the results will come.

Allen has done this before. Coming into the NFL, Allen’s throwing accuracy and mechanics were two major points. He laughed as he thought back to his days in Wyoming. Sometimes when Allen is on YouTube, a college highlight pops up and he’s like, “Who is that?” »

“It’s a little disgusting to watch that sometimes,” Allen said. “I don’t think it’s that disgusting anymore.”

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He called the transformation he has made since then “night and day.” So this makes it more plausible that Allen could continue to refine and refine his throwing motion as he ages in the NFL. His body won’t always respond the way it did in his early 20s, so staying on top of his mechanics will become more and more important as the years go by.

Allen said his injuries last season affected his mechanics slightly and he could feel the difference even with a few small adjustments this spring.

“There are inefficiencies that every quarterback can find,” Allen said. “Show me the perfect pitcher and I can probably find something wrong with him.” »

Allen also stressed that he’s still working on ways to handle the pressure that comes with being the face of the franchise and an NFL star. This seems more critical than ever given that the Bills have reset their salary cap to the point where Allen will have to do more with less. He’s working with a group of inexperienced receivers, many of whom he’s never been assigned to before. And the pressure to win a Super Bowl is always there in Buffalo.

“Just making sure I have teammates and coaching staff to rely on when things get a little heavy,” Allen said. “(Team sports psychologist Dr. Desaree Festa) talked about some mindset things today in our team meeting. It was a good reminder. It doesn’t matter who you are; you have to make sure your mental is good and work on it as much as on the physical.

Perhaps these seem like minor details in the grand scheme of the bills. But in Florham Park, New Jersey, the Jets were going through minicamp without starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, jumping out with an unexcused absence after missing all of last season with an Achilles injury.

As much turnover as the Bills have to deal with heading into next season, they have stability in the player and person at their most important position. It’s not something to take for granted.

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Good news was finally announced regarding the status of linebacker Matt Milano.

Fans have been concerned about the former All-Pro’s broken right leg since he suffered it in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London eight months ago. Milano participated in Tuesday’s practice, albeit on a limited basis.

“Just his presence is felt,” linebacker Terrel Bernard said. “He and I worked all offseason on our communication, building our bond, really trying to see things the exact same way. Honestly, being able to go out there and hang out 11-on-11, individual drills where we’re working together, it was awesome.

Over Milan’s last 22 games, including the playoffs, he recorded 149 tackles, 17 for loss, 4.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, five interceptions, a pick-six, 14 assists, a forced fumble and two recoveries.

“I feel like he’s even more focused — if that’s possible — now in wanting to come out for himself, but also for his teammates,” McDermott said.

McDermott stressed that the Bills would be cautious during minicamp and didn’t seem entirely convinced that Milan would have the brightest green light when training camp opened at St. John Fisher University.

“One day at a time,” McDermott said, “and hopefully tomorrow, if things stay managed overnight, we’ll continue to build through the break that we’re going to continue. Then hopefully at training camp, he’s in a place where, when we open, he’s available. It’s just a matter of… trying to put the practices in one after the other.”

Bills already inflated

Right tackle Spencer Brown and safety Mike Edwards were also limited Tuesday.

Unable to practice due to injuries, club does not need to release information at this time of year: fullbacks Ty Johnson and Ray Davis, fullback Reggie Gilliam and linebackers Baylon Spector, Dorian Williams , Edefuan Ulofoshio and Nicholas Morrow.

To give the team enough bodies to maximize minicamp, Buffalo brought in running back Hassan Hall and linebackers Stephen Hillis and Shaquille Quarterman to participate on a tryout basis. Quarterman is the only one of them with NFL experience. He played in all 17 games last year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but only took eight defensive snaps.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been hit with the injury problem here,” McDermott said before Tuesday’s practice. “It affects availability, which affects some of the development and building confidence, especially if you’re a new player.

“We’re just dealing with it.” We’ve had to cut back on some representatives from the third group over the past week and we may have to do the same today.

McDermott said cornerback Christian Benford was excused “to attend to a family matter.”

Benford was the only one absent. That means the only Bill to miss every voluntary practice, cornerback Rasul Douglas, showed up for his mandatory duty.

Khalil Shakir is the only Bills receiver to catch a pass from Josh Allen in a game. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Wide Receiver Update

After McDermott stressed that getting through minicamp healthy would be part of what would make the next few days successful, top returning receiver Khalil Shakir left practice early with an apparent injury and did not return.

Shakir is the only Buffalo receiver to catch a pass from Allen in a game. Shakir’s absence left more reps for a long list of newcomers trying to stay on the 53-man roster.

Andy Isabella, a training camp darling last summer, made some impressive catches of Allen during team drills, while Mitchell Trubisky leaned heavily on Chase Claypool during the team play of the ‘training.

“He’s a big body that can run really fast,” Allen said of Claypool. “He’s been making plays on the field for us and it seems like he’s really into the system right now and vibing with the guys.

“Given his position and what he’s done throughout his career, there have been some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows. He’s in the right frame of mind right now. He goes out and he works extremely hard. Guys understand that and see that. He’s doing the little things right now.

Buffalo’s receiver depth chart appears to be a guessing game until training camp and preseason games sort it out. Curtis Samuel was the most important addition during the offseason, and the team made wide receiver Keon Coleman their first pick in the draft. Beyond these two and Shakir, roles are up for grabs.

Sean McDermott says these bills are more altruistic

For the second year in a row, receiver Stefon Diggs was absent on the first day of the Bills’ mandatory minicamp.

Last year, the Bills became the NFL’s top news in mid-June when Diggs wasn’t on the practice field, and McDermott later said he was “concerned” about the absence. This sparked a few days of avoidable drama in the marriage between Diggs and the Bills.

The relationship ended with an April trade to the Houston Texans, and the Bills begin the next chapter of McDermott’s tenure with many new players and coaches. McDermott was asked what he liked about the “synergy” of so many new faces.

“I loved it,” McDermott replied. Everyone is focused, it seems. Even though it’s spring and sometimes guys have things to do outside of football at this time of year, you respect that. But when they’ve been here, they’ve been focused and worked well together and taken a really more selfless approach, I would say.

Altruism seemed to be an intentional word choice and one that could be a theme this version of the bills emphasizes. The roster lost some star power when the Bills traded Diggs, but perhaps this unselfish approach will help the Bills get the most out of the offense as a whole. They should at least be happy that the focus is elsewhere during this minicamp.

McDermott agreed with a reporter’s assessment that safety Damar Hamlin was a bright spot in OTAs.

“The last few weeks he’s been playing more consistently and at a high level,” McDermott said. “Very focused and putting himself in a really good position, not only knowing the defense, but just getting back to playing fast and detail.”

Hamlin was left out for all but five games last season and didn’t start any of them. Before his cardiac arrest in January 2023, Hamlin played in every game and started 13 while captains Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer struggled with injuries.

(Top photo by Matt Milano: Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)