Friday's practice provided a relief from the heat that dominated the first two days as Day 3 of Bills Training Camp was held under cloudy and intermittent drizzly conditions. The two-hour practice saw the Bills focus on high-leverage situations, with third and medium plays during team drills.
Here's are three things to know from Day 3 of Bills Camp.
Taylor Rapp's big day lends insight into Bills safety tandem
Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich issued a challenge to his team to kickstart the pre-weekend practice.
"In two days, we have one takeaway which we are not happy with," Babich said during his press conference.
That messaged was clearly received as the defense came away with two takeaways during team drills, both of which were interceptions by Taylor Rapp. The safety's first pick of the day occurred early in practice during a 7 on 7 series as Rapp made a diving grab along the sideline after a miscommunication by the Bills offense.
"I got to see it on film, but I just feeling it right now. That a pretty good pick," Rapp said during his appearance on One Bills Live.
The second interception came later during an 11 on 11 series where DE Joey Bosa got pressure and forced a high throw that eventually landed into the arms of the leaping Rapp.
Rapp, who is in his third season with the Bills and second season as the starting safety, shared part of his offseason regimen which included practically setting up residency at the team's indoor practice facility in Orchard Park with fellow safety Cole Bishop. Together, the tandem trained and simulated plays to develop their on-field chemistry and communication.
"I don't think people really realize how close you guys got to be as a safety tandem. Obviously here the legacy of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, they've were together eight years, just the continuity that they had. I can't say enough how important, how critical that is, to be on the same page with your guy," Rapp explained.
Simulating plays with two players on the field instead of 22 sounds difficult and that's because it is — and it's exactly what Rapp and Bishop were aiming for.
"We really opened up our imagination and just tried to make it as difficult as we can when we're running our drills out there, because you want it to be harder in the offseason, and you want it to be easier out on the football field when we're actually going through that," Rapp said. "Just the first three days of practice we're seeing a difference."
As for Rapp's counterpart, second-year safety Cole Bishop is looking more comfortable and surer of himself in the early part of camp compared to last season.
"He knows he's talented. He knows what expectations are although we deem his expectations, we make sure we temper those," said defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. "When you take away that level of anxiety of performance and stay in your process, I think that's where he's grown the most."
Rapp and Bishop have been paired together for much of the team reps through the first three days of camp and their chemistry continues to improve. Last year, Bishop missed most of training camp with a shoulder injury. This offseason, Bishop has been healthy from OTAs through camp and it's showing on the field.
"Cole's had to do everything he had to do to earn his right and earn his playing time. He's just done everything the right way," Rapp said.
Josh Allen's dazzling accuracy makes life easy for his pass catchers
In the flow of a two-hour training camp practice, it can be easy to let your mind wander. The constant beat of music, the background allure of crowds and the smell of nearby food trucks steer your focus.
But when No. 17 has the ball in his hands, your attention is demanded. Friday was one of those days where Josh Allen made a number of dazzling throws that can go underappreciated in a practice setting.
The reigning MVP did everything from complete off platform throws, change his arm angle to fit the ball between defenders and drop his deep ball in a bucket.
Allen's first pass attempt of the day was a beautifully thrown ball to WR Khalil Shakir down the sideline that squeezed past the secondary. With the Bills working in 3rd and medium situations most of the day, the defense mixed up their coverages and pressure looks. While the pass rush did have several notable moments, Allen often had answers.
On one play, Allen had DT Ed Oliver applying pressure and the QB identified a matchup he liked with TE Dalton Kincaid working against a smaller DB in Cam Lewis. Allen lofted the ball downfield and dropped it right into the hands of the third-year TE who did a good job to out-muscle the scrappy Lewis.
Allen later connected with WR Keon Coleman for multiple chunk gains. Their best hook up of the morning came during a steady drizzle where Coleman eluded CB Tre'Davious White who slipped, and the receiver proceeded to make a clean catch over the middle with no one near him and race past the secondary for a long touchdown.
It took a few days, but Allen and two new Bills WRs are starting to find a groove. The QB targeted WRs Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore on several occasions during practice. Palmer ran a fantastic route from the slot to gain separation in 7 on 7 drills and Allen hit the receiver in stride for a gain of 20 yards.
Moore also beat his man in a 1 on 1 drill at the end of practice on a stop and go route. The receiver quickly uncovered as he accelerated and made a running grab in the end zone on a soft deep ball from Allen.
New defensive additions coming along
The Bills biggest offseason investment was directed toward their defense. The first few days of training camp has been a chance to mix and match personnel to evaluate position groups.
CB Maxwell Hairston: Similar to Bishop's rookie learning curve last year, Hairston's introduction to the NFL is coming full speed. With so many things being thrown at the first-round corner right away, the coaching staff's messaging to Hairston is to stay in every moment.
"The biggest thing with those guys, and you get into this with the young guys specifically, is do not think ahead," Babich said.
Babich also added that it's important for both the player and the coaches to not "ride the roller coaster" after every rep, whether it's a good rep or bad one.
"Day 1, pretty good. Day 2, we got a lot of improvement to make. But the great thing is we got practice today and we need to see those improvements. Max is intentional about what he wants to be and what he wants to do to help this team win," Babich said.
CB Tre'Davious White: The former All-Pro isn't a 'new' face by any means, but after spending last season on two different teams, White returns to Buffalo with determination. He made up for his slip in coverage against Coleman with a pass breakup later in the day against Shakir. The receiver had the ball in his hands but White knocked it away as Shakir tried to corral it in.
"Tre's on a mission right now," Babich said, noting the CB's confidence after having a full offseason of being healthy.
DE Joey Bosa: The pass rusher had an explosive day of practice and recorded multiple pressures. Bosa met with the media Thursday and shared how the Bills have been transparent with their plan as to how they aim to keep the 30-year-old healthy.
Babich affirmed that sentiment, saying the goal is to find balance between the here and now and the team's ultimate goal at the end of the year.
"We just have an approach we're going with Joey to make sure that we keep him healthy. It's constantly evolving, we're in constant communication with Joey. He wants to make sure his craft is at the highest level. So, there's the balance with us of a guy that would go, go, go, and us having to make sure, hopefully, in February, end of January, he's still available," Babich shared. "So, we're trying our best to do that, and we have a plan."
