Day 2 of camp featured another rainy practice at St. John Fisher University. A longer day of practice made for more time in 11-on-11 periods. The Bills have a walk-through practice scheduled for Friday and another practice on Saturday before Sunday's day off.
Here's what you need to know from Thursday's practice.
Jim Leonhard breaks down player fits and expectations in new defense
Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is back in a familiar place for training camp. Leonhard knows St. John Fisher University because the Bills have held training camp there since 2000. The DC played safety for the Bills from 2005-07 and 2013.
As Leonhard arrived in Rochester again, this time as a coach, he felt as if it was a full-circle moment.
"I remember being in these dorms when they weren't quite as nice. Obviously there's been a ton of upgrades," Leonhard said. "It was always a great place to go to camp because as a team you do become closer … But it is a little of a strange feeling walking around here, kind of feeling like you know it. But at the same time, it's a totally different feel just with the role I'm in."
Leonhard's defensive players are feeling totally different as well as they transition to a 3-4 defense. As they've installed new concepts and are learning their new fits, they're beginning to see all the possibilities a new look presents.
"They understand, from a blocking scheme standpoint, what you force offenses to do, the one-on-ones that you can create, the angles that you create in the run game," Leonhard explained. "I think we have a smart group that understands the differences of that, and how it can help them, how it can free them up … They're excited to have the opportunity to go make plays."
Leonhard spent a good chunk of his press conference detailing how specific players fit and what he expects for them in this new defense.
DT Ed Oliver
This season marks Oliver's eighth in the NFL. He's coming off a 2025 campaign where he started off the season hot with three sacks in three games but couldn't make it through due to multiple injuries.
Leonhard thinks Oliver has plenty of upside in a 3-4 defense due to his athleticism and believes he can help the DT see more advantageous looks at the snap.
"I think number one is you got to make teams find him. If you know where a guy's going to be, it's a little bit easier for an offense to game plan," Leonhard said. "And I think the front structure we're going to run is going to be more multiple than what they've done here in the past, and that frees up a guy like Ed."
OLB Greg Rousseau
Rousseau is gearing up for his sixth season, coming off seven sacks in 2025. As he chases that double-digit number, Leonhard thinks he's done a good job of understanding his new role. He believes being in a 3-4 defense will give Rousseau more room to showcase his length.
"We think it's going to allow him to get to his length a little bit better than it has in the past," Leonhard explained of Rousseau's edge alignment. "There are times he's gotten jammed up just with limited space. And obviously, he is a unique athlete. With his size, with his length, we're really excited to get him a little bit more space…to allow him to have a little bit more vision, see what's going on and then be able to get to that length, whether it's the run or the pass game."
S Cole Bishop
Bishop finished last season on a high note with an interception and two tackles for loss in the playoffs. As he works to build off that in his third season, Bishop is matched with a defensive coordinator who played safety at the highest level. Leonhard believes Bishop has a good understanding of his role thanks to their conversations during offseason training.
"We were able to have a lot more 1-on-1 conversations with him and teach the scheme and show him how he fits rather than just being thrown into the fire of trying to compete and execute every single day," Leonhard said of Bishop starting the offseason in a limited role. "… This will free him up, just like Ed. You talk about Ed up front and the different things we can do with him. The safety group, I see the same way. I was always a Swiss Army knife that kind of did a lot of different things, and that's what I like my safety group to be. There is going to be a lot of different roles, a lot of different positions and techniques they're asked to do, and that fits Cole Bishop's play style and his personality very well."
CB Maxwell Hairston
Hairston started his rookie season on Injured Reserve but saw the field for 11 games during the regular season. He recorded two interceptions and five passes defensed in 2025. As he looks to his sophomore season, Hairston is ready to prove why he deserves a starting role. Leonhard believes his speed sets him apart as a man coverage corner.
"Max is a man corner. He can run, he can challenge," Leonhard said. "Anytime you have that speed and quickness at an elite level, it allows you to play a lot of man coverage. But the number one thing that I noticed coming out of college, he can take the ball away … With a guy like Max, it's the ability to mix and match playing man coverage, challenging receivers, but having vision on the quarterback to take the ball away."
ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr
The Bills drafted Elarms-Orr in the fourth round of this year's draft. The rookie had no time to watch from the sidelines as he was thrust into a bigger role due to inside linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams ramping up slowly throughout the offseason as they rehab to fully healthy. Leonhard believes the rookie has already shown his effective communication style and isn't letting the opportunity go to waste.
"He's taken advantage of a huge opportunity with backers ahead of him not being on the field, and he's calm and collected," Leonhard said.
Elarms-Orr has earned reps with the starting defense during the first two days of camp.
"He wants that role; he wants to be a lead communicator for a defense. That's what he's done in the past. He doesn't blink," Leonard said.
"On the ups" | DJ Moore's connection with Josh Allen continues to improve
Time on task is what new receiver DJ Moore needs with quarterback Josh Allen to build the connection the two want to have once the season begins. Now that the offseason break is over, the two are getting just that – multiple days in a row together to work on their craft.
Through just two days of camp practices, you can already see an improvement in their on-field connection. Allen has looked for Moore multiple times in practices as the duo has connected on a few nice plays.
"I want to say we're on the ups," Moore said of his connection with Allen. "The first two days have been really good, so we've got to keep building on that, and go from there."
The two are nine-year veterans and know what it takes to build a meaningful connection. They're using lessons learned over their NFL career to create something they can be proud of. They understand the off-the-field connection is a huge part of the equation, so they've been checking on each other frequently.
"Constant communication. He was in LA, I was moving houses and selling houses, so just the communication," Moore said. "And just getting out here early and just going back and forth like we are today. Constant communication on the field between the two days, and we're just (going to) keep building."
During the first 11-on-11 period, Allen found Moore down the field for an impressive play. The two timed it perfectly as Allen fit the ball past defenders and right into Moore's hands.
One thing that isn't new to Moore is his head coach Joe Brady. The two overlapped in Carolina from 2020-21 when Brady was the offensive coordinator. He is seeing Brady in a different light now as head coach.
"When he was in Carolina, he was on people a lot. Now that he's in this major role as being a head coach, I feel like he's made it more known that these are the details and this is how we're going about things," Moore said. "With specific guys, he's counting on them. So, you've got to wear a hard hat every day with him, and he wants the best out of everybody."
Practice notes: Defense grabs an interception and bats a couple of balls
The Bills had a longer practice on Day 2 compared to Day 1, so players had more chances to make plays during team periods. Both sides of the ball shined in different ways during Thursday's practice.
In the first 11-on-11 period, rookie outside linebacker TJ Parker got off the ball quick, put his hands in the passing lane and batted down a pass. It had the opportunity to be picked up by the defense, but running back Ray Davis caught the tipped ball to keep it in the offense's hands. That wasn't the only batted ball by the defensive line. Later, defensive lineman T.J. Sanders batted a pass at the line of scrimmage and almost came down with the interception. Rookie inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr also tipped a pass during team period.
The defense didn't stop there as the younger players continued to make plays. Rookie safety Jalon Kilgore made his presence known with two pass breakups throughout practice. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson's energy was also on display when he came flying across the field on one play to break up a deep pass to one of the receivers. Later, inside linebacker Joe Andreessen had a nice interception in coverage where he had eyes to the football and was able to slip in front of the receiver to grab the pass.
The offense made some plays too. In 7-on-7 drills, QB Josh Allen launched a deep pass to Moore who slipped behind the secondary for a 50-yard touchdown.
When 11-on-11 started, Allen found Moore again down the field, fitting a pass into a tight window, timing it perfectly for Moore to grab it and run up the field for a big gain. Allen found his new weapon again later in practice near the sideline where Moore had to extend to bring the ball in. QB1 also connected with tight end Dawson Knox as he was blanketed by cornerback Christian Benford. Knox showcased his strong hands made a nice play on the ball to come down with it.
Running backs James Cook and Ty Johnson had a couple of plays where they broke into the second level of the defense for a nice gain.
