PITTSFORD — If it wasn’t already, safety is officially the position with the most uncertainty for the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills announced Thursday that rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop is week-to-week with a shoulder injury. On Tuesday, the same day the Bills announced the signing of veteran Kareem Jackson with Mike Edwards week-to-week with a hamstring injury, Bishop took a hard fall while breaking up a pass and left the field with trainers.
Bishop spent Thursday’s practice in a T-shirt and shorts, but had no visible brace or bandaging. During the first three days of training camp, Bishop, Edwards and Damar Hamlin alternated days with the first-team defense alongside Taylor Rapp.
Hamlin, who started 13 games for the Bills before suffering commotio cordis, played with the No. 1 defense as Jackson started working his way into the defense while playing with the No. 2s. Recently signed Terrell Burgess also practiced with the team for the first time.
“Next man up, that’s what it is,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “I learned a long time ago, and specifically here in Buffalo, when I was coaching the safeties, things like this happened all the time. … That’s why we get paid. It’s a lot easier to coach guys that are veterans and have kind of established themselves and have a lot of reps.”
Hamlin played just five games last season and logged just 17 defensive snaps a season after making 91 tackles. He’s flashed some of his old form at times during training camp, knocking away an ill-advised Josh Allen throw to Curtis Samuel up the seam during 11-on-11 work Thursday.
Rapp saw more action than Hamlin did a year ago, starting a game against the Miami Dolphins and sealed Buffalo’s AFC East championship with an interception at Miami in the regular-season finale. Although Rapp started 48 games with the Los Angeles Rams in his first four seasons, most of his action came in dime packages, playing 42% of the snaps, mostly on passing downs.
When Jordan Poyer was released and Micah Hyde was not re-signed, Rapp agreed to come back to the Bills on a three-year contract.
“Last year, came in here, kind of unfamiliar territory, signed a one-year contract and stuff like that,” Rapp said. “Always competing and stuff and even now, I have the mentality, coach says it all the time, no one has earned a job yet. Everybody is fighting for a job. So just coming out here, competing every day, trying to get better, trying to become better versions of myself. Try to help this team as much as possible and whatever we need and just come out here and compete.”
Time will tell if Jackson or Burgess can compete for a starting job. There are still more than five weeks until the season opener and a lot can happen during that time, including Bishop and Edwards getting healthy.
Both players, regardless of their experience, are not only new to the defense, but are behind the other safeties on the roster who have been with the Bills since minicamp. Of the eight safeties on the team, only Hamlin and Rapp have game experience with the Bills.
“Those guys are pretty schooled up when it comes to football. You start at the base level and just see how quickly they pick that up,” Babich said. “And it’s just a feel, it’s like a teacher, right? You get a feel for your classroom and we can move on. The pupils are really understanding what we’re talking about. And there’s a lot of check for understanding as far as our teaching goes. That’s part of the process and that’s part of what Sean believes in.”
Run defense, Shakir highlight practice
The Buffalo run defense seemed stout Thursday, with a James Cook 20-yard run off left tackle being the lone blemish of the practice.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver stopped Cook on a pair of occasions, while cornerback Taron Johnson, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and defensive end Greg Rousseau all made tackles for minimal gain. Most of the work, though, came in the red zone.
Mack Hollins caught a touchdown pass from Josh Allen, while Khalil Shakir was the standout receiver of the practice. Shakir caught a pair of touchdown passes and then had the highlight of the day, picking a pass off the back of Rapp for a 30-yard gain near the end of the practice.
Rookie Keon Coleman had a fingertip catch near the end of practice that briefly got a cheer from the crowd, but he was whistled for offensive pass interference. Tight end Dalton Kincaid caught a short touchdown pass in front of reserve cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram.
During a brief 7-on-7 period, the defense got the upper hand, as cornerback Kaiir Elam made back-to-back pass break-ups to close the period. He knocked away a pass from Hollins in the front corner of the end zone, and then, when Allen had nowhere to throw, he tried a check-down in the flat and didn’t see Elam, who broke on the pass to knock it away.
Heat check
A female fan collapsed along the sideline during practice. Bills trainer Nate Breske attended to her and she got to her feet eventually was taken away in an ambulance, but not before Allen ran over to the fence to give her a hug.
Offensive lineman La’el Collins was also checked by trainers and visited the medical tent. He didn’t return to practice, but Collins was walking around near the end of practice.
Reserve guard Mike Edwards practiced Thursday after being in concussion protocol. In addition to Bishop and Edwards, receiver Chase Claypool (toe), offensive tackle Travis Clayton (shoulder) and running back Ty Johnson (leg) did not practice.