Bills Mandatory Minicamp Preview: Setting the Table
Regardless of whether he shows, safety Jordan Poyer will be the top story when the Buffalo Bills reconvene in Orchard Park Tuesday for the start of a three-day mandatory minicamp.
For the record, Poyer has given no indication he plans to skip this camp like he did with OTAs, the voluntary portion of the Bills' offseason. That was a business decision as part of his and agent Drew Rosenhaus' strategy for negotiating a contract extension.
Now that the option to stay away no longer exists the rest of the way, the Bills expect Poyer to be all business about the sport of football and will have the option to start fining him if his absence continues.
Beyond Poyer, however, the Bills have much to accomplish over three practices that may, like last year, be reduced to two if coach Sean McDermott likes what he sees and gets from the team's most loaded roster of the NFL's free agency era (1993 and beyond).
Here are some of the top items on the agenda:
Preliminary depth chart
The Bills pretty much know who all their starters are going to be. But for the positions like defensive line, wide receiver, running back and tight end, where backups rotate in throughout, some interesting evaluations have to be made.
Special teams will be particularly interesting, with the punting and returning jobs up for grabs.
The cornerbacks
Elite outside cornerback Tre'Davious White remains out indefinitely following December surgery to repair a torn ACL. This, after fellow outside starter Levi Wallace was poached by the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
All of this has opened the door for extensive reps for Dane Jackson, their temporary CB1, and rookie first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam, a player defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the Bills need to respond the way White did when drafted in the first round in 2017.
"We need Kaiir to step up and play well for us early," Frazier said.
Elam was taken with the 23rd overall pick this year, White with the 27th in 2017. White started right away and was a fixture in Buffalo's stingy secondary until being felled on Thanksgiving. He has made two Pro Bowls and in 2019 was named a first-team All-Pro.
Team building
Momentum from winning two AFC East titles in a row and three playoff games over the previous two seasons won't mean anything unless the Bills recreate themselves, which is their goal every season, regardless of roster turnover
This year, that approach likely is more crucial, given all the key changes the team has made to both lines, the additions to quarterback Josh Allen's arsenal and the lack of experienced personnel beyond their starters in the secondary.
With Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison and Star Lotulelei gone, newcomer Von Miller now is the elder statesman of the defensive line and being looked to for leadership.
By all accounts, he's been delivering.
That was expected, though.
What the Bills need just as much is for new leaders to emerge every year.
Who will be the surprises this year? Jackson? Defensive end Shaq Lawson? Guard Ryan Bates? Runnng back Devin Singletary? Wide receiver Gabriel Davis? Defensive tackle Ed Oliver? The possibilities are endless.
More importantly, there is no quantifying Buffalo's ceiling anymore.
All that remains is for the players to prove they can stay in the moment, something that always is easier said than done.
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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
