ESPN

‘Hamlin, with cameras pointed in his and Floyd’s direction, formed a heart with his hands and put up three fingers on each hand, symbolizing his number. It was the first time in an OTA practice open to the media that Hamlin wore his helmet and fully participated, a significant step toward playing football after suffering cardiac arrest during a game at the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2.’

‘Floyd, 30, adds another veteran presence to a Bills pass-rushing group that includes his former Los Angeles Rams teammate Von Miller, who is coming off a major right ACL injury suffered on Thanksgiving that has about a nine-month recovery window, putting his availability in question for the start of the season. The Bills have also invested heavily in recent drafts at the position with second-round picks A.J. Epenesa (2020) and Boogie Basham (2021) and first-round pick Greg Rousseau (2021).’

‘On Monday morning, however, those came to a pause with gold shovels, a stage and all the proper tools for a celebration to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bills stadium. The agreements include a 30-year lease and a non-relocation agreement that makes it difficult for the team to leave Buffalo, the second-smallest NFL market (larger than only Green Bay).’

‘The $45 million guaranteed is tied for eighth-most most among active interior defensive line contracts, per ESPN Stats & Information research. With his $10.753 million fifth-year option included, Oliver is set to average $15.75 million in salary over the next five years, currently 16th among interior defensive linemen. Prior to reaching an agreement with the former ninth overall pick on the extension, the Bills did not have a defensive tackle signed for the 2024 season or beyond.’

‘Hamlin, 25, announced at the event that the CPR tour will feature stops in multiple other cities, including Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Hamlin’s hometown. Each stop will include CPR training and the distribution of AEDs to support youth sports and community groups. The importance of this education comes from nearly three out of four cardiac arrests outside of the hospital occurring in homes, per the American Heart Association.’

‘”I think communicating to our playmakers, understanding where I want them and making sure that we’re on the same page. Film study, for sure. And then just diving into our playbook, knowing it inside and out,” Allen said on where he has been more locked in. “And whether we’ve got to simplify some things or add more stuff, talking with [offensive coordinator Ken] Dorsey and again, just trying to be a part of his brain and making sure that I’m doing that on the field. And then, just knowing the concepts as well as I can, knowing where my eyes should be and understanding what the defense is trying to do, and how to exploit said defense.”‘

‘This accelerator follows the inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator and the Front Office Accelerator hosted at previous league meetings in 2022. For the first time, however, teams were able to nominate coaches outside of their organization. The coaches who were chosen are attending “based on their high potential” to be considered for head-coaching jobs.’

‘”I know he’s a big golf fan,” McIlroy said. “I haven’t met him. I think he played Pebble Beach pro-am this year, but I didn’t play there. Yeah, I’d obviously love to meet him.”‘

‘Ray, 29, added there were “times that I thought maybe I should give up, but I wouldn’t be me if I folded” and that “even in my darkest moments I believed in myself. I believed in my preparation. I believed that I would have another opportunity even if the world didn’t believe.”‘

‘Araiza, a former punter at San Diego State, also was not visible in any of the videos recovered from the night in question, according to audio from a meeting between San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador and the woman who filed a civil lawsuit last year against Araiza and two of his former Aztecs teammates.’

‘The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2026. Major construction on the project is scheduled to begin in June.’

‘By signing Ford after May 1, he will not count in the team’s compensatory pick formula. The Bills are anticipating receiving a compensatory third-round pick in 2024 for losing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to the Chicago Bears in free agency.’

‘The 33-year-old Murray, a Syracuse native who also earned an MBA from Syracuse in 2020, becomes the second-oldest player on the Bills’ roster (behind Von Miller) and adds experience to a running backs room that is headlined by 2022 second-round pick James Cook.’

‘Bass has shown the ability to kick consistently despite the tough conditions that the lake wind and often lake-effect snow bring to Highmark Stadium. He also has had success at the end of the season, with his highest field goal accuracy percentages coming in December (89.5%) and January (100%). In his career, Bass, the first member of the Bills’ 2020 draft class to be extended, has missed only four fourth-quarter or overtime kicks (24-of-28), including the postseason, and he has made all five of his potential game-tying or go-ahead kicks in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. He is the first player in Bills history to score 120-plus points in three seasons.’

‘Hamlin shared Tuesday — during his first news conference since the events on Jan. 2 during the first quarter of a regular-season “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals — that doctors concluded that Hamlin suffered a specific type of cardiac arrest, commotio cordis, “an extremely rare consequence of blunt force trauma to the heart that happens at exactly the wrong time in the heart rhythm, causing the heart to stop beating effectively,” per the American Heart Association. Collapsing occurs within a few seconds.’