2 — Lots of action in the rookie class
Three of the Bills’ rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft were sidelined due to injury: S Cole Bishop, LB Edefuan Ulofoshio and OL Travis Clayton. That meant that seven players from the rookie class competed, and many of them made significant contributions during the game.
WR Keon Coleman was on the field for every snap of the Bills’ first two drives, completing three passes and catching one that resulted in a first down. The other two were passes to the end zone, but both of Trubisky’s passes missed.
“I thought he looked relaxed,” McDermott said of Coleman. “I thought he looked like it wasn’t too big for him, and that’s part of being a young player and having to adjust, and that didn’t surprise me.”
RB Ray Davis was the second back after James Cook. Although Davis didn’t have many gaps to run through, he was often used in the passing game. He had three catches for 19 carries and shook off the first tackler several times.
Third-round pick DT DeWayne Carter moved into the starting defensive line and finished the day with two tackles. He shared his thoughts on his performance and praised the defensive line’s communication.
“We put a lot of emphasis on (communication) in training. I think we managed that today. I think it went pretty smoothly. We’re on the same wavelength. The chemistry is good and we’re getting better and better together. But as far as that goes, I felt very comfortable,” he said.
OT Tylan Grable played with the second offensive line unit and DE Javon Solomon played with both the second and third teams.
One player to continue to watch this preseason is CB Deaquan Hardy. The speedy sixth-round pick alternated with the backups in the secondary, lining up as both an outside and inside cornerback. More notably, he was one of two returners on the field early in the game, lining up as a punt returner. Although he made a 17-yard punt return, McDermott noted that the rookie had some difficulty tracking the ball in the air in the gusts of wind.
“The wind blows pretty strongly there, so we need to bring them here so they can do more to understand the wind and how it works here,” McDermott said.
