Buffalo Bills break routine and practice on final day of minicamp

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — With mandatory minicamp scheduled for three days, the Sean McDermott-led Bills are typically only on the practice field for the first two.

This year however, there was a change in the routine, with Buffalo practicing on the third and final day.

Head coach Sean McDermott’s reasoning was simple.

“We have to practice,” McDermott said, emphasizing every word. “Obviously there’s a high percentage of new players, new faces, so the more reps we can get the better. And look, I would say, I appreciate the willingness of the players and their attitude when they’re went there. Not all teams practice on the third day of minicamp.

The third and final day saw more opportunities for those not slated as starters to get their reps in, with players like Mitch Trubisky, for example, getting extended practice time.

Now, each player gets a long break before returning to training camp at the end of July.

Until then, the message from above to the rest of the team, staff and players: rest before starting the hard work.

“Recharge, refresh and communicate wherever you are,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “If you’re a coach and something happens, if you’re a scout and you hear something. Whatever your job is, communicate with us, but run away. We have a long job to do, let’s be fresh when we to come back.”

“Be ready to go,” McDermott said. “Make good decisions in the offseason…the time they leave us until they return to St. John Fisher and be ready to go. Be in shape because it’s going to be a tough camp.”

When the Bills return to the field, they will do so at St. John Fisher University, with training camp once again taking place in Pittsford.