Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘That talk is largely fueled by how each of the past four seasons have ended. The flameout last January when the Bills got whipped at home by the Bengals, a shockingly non-competitive performance; the 13 seconds debacle the year before which led to a hard to fathom loss to the Chiefs; the one-sided AFC Championship Game defeat at Kansas City in the 2020 playoffs; and the second-half collapse at Houston in the 2019 playoffs.’

‘Now, the Bills have to pivot and one player who could get time at punt return is wide receiver Khalil Shakir. He had three for 23 yards last season before Hines arrived. Another wide receiver, free agent acquisition Deonte Harty, has experience performing both jobs.’

‘Harris looks like the main backup with Hines perhaps earning a role as a pass catcher, but I think he’s going to be used primarily as the punt and kick returner. As for Murray, I’m going back and forth between keeping him or cutting him and adding him to the practice squad. In the past, the fourth RB has been Taiwan Jones who played only special teams, and Murray won’t do that. Gilliam should continue in his small role as the only fullback on the roster.’

‘The Bills currently sit at the maximum 90 roster spots. This year the NFL has one cut date on Aug. 29 to reduce rosters to 53.’

‘DE A.J. Epenesa: He’s heading into the final year of his contract and the 2020 second-round pick has never lived up to his draft status.’

‘The four on-air personalities were asked which team would win the AFC East. The three-time defending division champion Bills were shut out.’

‘DE Leonard Floyd: Getting Floyd so late in free agency feels like a steal for Beane. He is a proven pass rusher with 29 sacks in his last three seasons for the Rams, and he’s an ideal replacement until Von Miller is ready to return. Even then, Floyd will be a big part of the rotation, likely pushing A.J. Epenesa or Boogie Basham into a diminished role.’

‘Tyrel Dodson has been a backup for three years with five career starts; Terrel Bernard was a 2022 third-round pick who saw very little playing time as a rookie; A.J. Klein will be 32 next week and he’s better suited to being a backup. In all likelihood, one of those three will start on opening night in New York, and your guess is as good as mine.’

‘Throwback Tea, which is an official sponsor of Bills Mafia, is a non-carbonated, red raspberry hard iced tea. Besides the red raspberries, what will have Bills fans thinking back to Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith and the rest of the 1990s Super Bowl era squad is the iconic red helmet on its packaging.’

‘OK, the 25-year-old dropped the gauntlet so now it’s up to him to back up his bold talk, because across his first four seasons, he has been a good player, but probably not the player the Bills thought he would be.’

‘“First year, he really did some good things, especially on the field on game day,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “I thought there were some rookie things that he did in practice that sometimes said, ‘Don’t do that.’ Just some learning things, but in all fairness to him, I thought in games he cleaned up a lot of that.”’

‘The Bills’ practices are held primarily on the grass field at the Polisseni Complex which is behind Growney Stadium. There is grandstand seating on the near side, and bleacher seating on the far side, plus ample areas to stand. All practice times are subject to change.’

‘Greg Rousseau, the 2021 first-round pick, has enjoyed two pretty good seasons and he would be the prime candidate to fill the void of Miller’s absence, but he really didn’t do that last season after Miller went down Thanksgiving Day.’

‘There has been a revolving door at One Bills Drive at the guard position for several years because coach Sean McDermott has not been able to find a twosome that can produce at a consistent level.’

‘“I didn’t wake up that morning in January thinking that I would need someone to save my life that day, and I doubt that the staff thought that they had to do what they did either,” Hamlin said in the video. “What I’ve taken away from what happened to me six and a half months ago, is that any of us at any given time are capable of doing something that’s incredible, in saving a life and living a life in service to others.”‘