Niagara Gazette

‘The 2021 first-round pick played almost exclusively on the left side during his first two NFL seasons, but with Leonard Floyd and Von Miller favoring that position, Rousseau was moved around frequently last season, finishing with five sacks, down from eight in 2022. With Floyd off to San Francisco, Rousseau is back in his natural spot and that could help him get to the quarterback more often.’

‘“Special teams is how I got in this league,” Shavers said. “… I don’t feel any differently about special teams than I do about offense. I look at it as another opportunity to make a play.”’

‘Shavers is still the wild-card here. The eye test and the reps indicate Shavers should be on the final roster, but it’s hardly a guarantee. Hamler has fallen behind Daequan Hardy as a returner, while Shorter has struggled with drops during training camp. Valdes-Scantling (neck) could be a cutdown-day IR candidate and his contract is already guaranteed.’

‘Through the first two preseason games, Solomon appears to be in the lead position, not only because he’s been the first of the group to enter both games, but also due to the fact that teams prefer not to cut draft picks. Meanwhile, this is Jonathan’s third training camp with the Bills and he made the final roster outright last season, appearing in 13 games.’

‘Veteran linebacker Nicholas Morrow was signed in the offseason to add to the team’s linebacker depth, but a groin injury that caused him to miss a game for the Philadelphia Eagles last year was re-aggravated during the spring, which kept him out of minicamp and then exacerbated it again, causing Morrow to miss eight practices and two preseason games.’

‘“You can understand the rhythm that they play at, the type of things they like to take away,” Coleman said. “And then from watching the film, taking into account the guys they’re probably going against are not, you know, the same size or your speed and could do the different things that you can do. So just imagining how I would stop myself, pretty much, is the same way they are imagining how to stop me when I’m going out there.”’

‘Although Bishop hasn’t been on the field, he’s been able to learn from a veteran group of safeties, especially Edwards, who have played a combined 480 NFL games and 295 starts. Watching from the sidelines has given Bishop a different perspective as he tries to learn Buffalo’s defensive system.’

‘Safeties Cole Bishop (shoulder) and Mike Edwards (hamstring), along with linebacker Nicholas Morrow (groin), plan to participate during walkthroughs and individual drills this week, while the Bills also hope defensive end Casey Toohill (groin) returns later in the week. But there’s also a long list of players who are going to miss time.’

‘The Lancaster native got the start after the Buffalo Bills opted to sit out starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard and injuries kept back ups Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow from playing. Andreessen made a team-high 12 tackles in a little more than a half of action, showing he may have a future in the NFL.’

‘Andreessen, considered to be a longshot to make the final roster, made a team-high 12 tackles as he played through the first drive of the third quarter in Buffalo’s 9-3 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday. “When a young guy gets an opportunity and he makes the most of it, it’s fun to watch a young man like that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “… You love stories like that. Real happy for Joe.”’

‘It could be the last chance to see some of the starters, specifically Allen, before the regular season begins. Allen has not played three preseason games since 2019, when it was a four-game slate instead of three.’

‘If the Bills place Milano on the injured reserve before the final cutdown date, he won’t be able to play for the remainder of the season. That means the Bills would have to release another player if they choose to add to their linebacker depth before the start of the year.’

‘Now, with less than 30 days until the regular season begins, a collection of nearly 50 game-used guitars at the Bills Elvis Guitar Exhibit from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Kenan House Art Gallery in Lockport. The exhibit is part of a tailgating experience, with Lang’s band, Bills Elvis and the Tailgaters, performing from 3 to 5 p.m. along with food, drinks, games and a chance for kids to decorate their own guitar.’

‘“I think we’ve done a really good job of developing players,” McDermott said. “That’s what you look forward to every day coming in with this young team, to help them develop and bring them along. The practice squad players that have come on and done some good things. They’ve been on the varsity, on the active roster, so that’s a critical part. … The practice squad and the complexion of the practice squad has changed from what it used to be.”’

‘“Our guys have gone against each other a lot up to this point and they’re probably sick of going against each other,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “Just to go to a new environment — new, fresh faces — common sense tells you it’s going to energize you a little bit, give you a little bit of a second wind as we are in training camp.”’