After a walk-through on Wednesday, the Bills were back in full pads for the sixth practice of training camp. They have one final practice at St. John Fisher University on Friday before heading back to Orchard Park for Saturday's Return of the Blue & Red practice.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Thursday's practice that featured a mix of sunshine and rain.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson returns to practice
It didn't take long for Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to get back into the mix. The veteran participated in Thursday's practice, including 11-on-11 reps, after going down with a lower-body extremity injury during last Saturday's (Aug. 1) practice.
"I feel like I'm 100% ready to go," said Gardner-Johnson, who wore a sleeve on his right leg in practice. "Health, as well, so it's continue to trust the trainers and the coaches."
The severity of the injury was initially unknown, but head coach Joe Brady delivered good news on Monday, Aug. 3 when he explained the team received "good news" on the injury. Brady didn't deliver a timetable when speaking to media and wanted to make it clear that everyone recovers differently.
"I'm not really big on expectations or timetables. I think that's part of everybody's body recovers differently," Brady shared.
Gardner-Johnson said he's staying positive and relying on the training staff to help him recover.
"I've got a lot of trust in this training staff here, more than other places I've been," Gardner-Johnson said.
The veteran safety explained he likes the way the Bills training staff approaches injuries and returning to the field.
"(They're) being really honest with me," Gardner-Johnson said. "This is the risk you take if you go back, these are the benefits if you do the plan and stuff like that."
As the safety got back into the swing of things, he was happy to be with his teammates, coaching them and cheering them on. In his eighth NFL training camp, Gardner-Johnson is doing anything he can to make a positive impact.
"It's going good," Gardner-Johnson said of his first Bills training camp. "I've got to catch the ball when it gets thrown to me. I can't drop the ball in the middle of the field. Really just being there for my teammates. Had a good camp…I'm feeling good. We've got two good opponents the first two weeks, so I want to be ready and mentally sharp."
Practice Observations: Great battles between CBs and WRs
With just two days left at St. John Fisher, the Bills focused their second to last training camp practice on 1-on-1 matchups across the board. The offensive and defensive groupings went back-and-forth at each other throughout the duration of practice, with the cornerback group making their mark.
Despite a slow start during the isolated periods, undrafted rookie cornerback Kani Walker set the tone by draping himself all over a short route run by fellow rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell.
Second year corner Jordan Hancock's day began by giving up a few catches to the offense, but the 22-year-old stole the show as practice progressed.
In the final full team period, Hancock flew into the backfield on a blitz, blowing through running back Ian Wheeler who stepped up in pass protection to disrupt the play.
A few plays later, Hancock matched up with tight end Keleki Latu in the end zone, with a jump ball headed in his direction. Despite a seven-inch height difference in his opponent's favor, Hancock climbed the ladder and high-pointed the pass from Kyle Allen for a clutch interception near the back of the end zone.
Cornerback Christian Benford also had a pick of his own on Thursday, matching up with wide receiver DJ Moore and taking advantage of the slippery field which caused the wideout to slip at the top of his route. Benford was right there to receive the errant pass, catching it in stride.
Back near the start of the day, Benford put together an impressive rep against receiver Keon Coleman, sticking with the young receiver on a deep shot and swatting the ball away at the catch point.
Benford's counterpart CB Maxwell Hairston had a pair of beautiful pass breakups of his own, getting a hand on the ball to deflect two passes when matched up against WR Mecole Hardman Jr.
Even with multiple cornerbacks shining on Thursday, the potential play of the day came from wide receiver Dante Pettis. During Josh Allen's second 11-on-11 drive, the quarterback found Pettis streaking toward the end zone with safety Geno Stone in coverage.
Allen decided to test the matchup, airing out a beautiful throw where only Pettis could get his hands on it. The veteran receiver fell backwards and outstretched his arms, completing the acrobatic catch for a long touchdown just inside the left sideline.
The other touchdown of the day for Allen came later in practice as rain started coming down. Allen found Moore down sideline, and the receiver slipped through a Dee Alford tackle attempt and took his reception in for six.
When the skill positions on the outside weren't making splash plays, the defensive line was usually there to disrupt the action. Defensive lineman Ed Oliver put together a great day for himself on the interior, consistently creating havoc.
The 28-year-old continues to shine in Leonhard's defense, beginning the day by dissecting a screen pass, bursting through the line and batting a pass to his side down for an incompletion.
In the next series, Oliver again got past his matchup on a pass play, this time coming through for a would-be sack. The following play again saw him dominating up front, blowing up a handoff to James Cook, meeting him right as he acquired the ball in the backfield for a tackle for loss.
Tyler Bass kicks publicly for first time
Bills kicker Tyler Bass took his first public field goal reps during Thursday's training camp practice. The kicker showcased a strong and confident leg as he made many field goals starting at 35 yards out and backing up to 51.
"I've done it for a while," Bass shared. "I have the experience, but it's all about just getting repetition, getting reps. Just building that belief in your snapper and your holder, and I think we're well on our way. I know you guys have only seen me kick once, but we've kicked a lot before that, so we're excited."
It's the first time Bass has kicked publicly since the preseason last year. Bass dealt with a sports hernia and was ultimately shut down for the entire 2025 season. Spending the season and offseason rehabbing, Bass feels like he's in a good place ahead of the 2026 season.
"The body feels good," Bass said. "Again, a lot of work that I put in to get to this point, but we still got a lot more to do."
As Bass gets ready for his seventh season, he's getting familiar with two new holders in punters Mitch Wishnowsky and Tommy Doman Jr. Wishnowsky punted for the Bills last year, and Doman Jr. was a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Florida.
"Both Mitch and Tommy are doing a great job," Bass explained. "Reid (Ferguson) is the best in the league, so he makes it easy. They're both doing really well."
New special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers didn't want Bass to rush through anything during his ramp up process. Rodgers wanted to make sure his kicker was comfortable in every step, especially with two new holders.
"I don't think you skip steps," Rodgers explained. "It starts from ground zero. He's working with two new holders right now, that's a part of that comfort, so it's going to be a rep thing."
Throughout the process of getting healthy, Bass has felt an immense amount of support from his coaches. With no other kickers on the current roster, Bass is feeling confident as the season approaches.
"I think just the whole organization, Joe (Brady), Jeff (Rodgers) our coordinator, have done a great job of just integrating me at the right pace and just letting me be the best version of myself. And that's why I'm seeing a lot of growth," he said.
