Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘The next thing you have to say is that Harty might be undersized, but you can’t hit what you can’t catch and through the first week of training camp he has shown off game-breaking speed which offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey hopes to utilize far more than his coaching counterparts at New Orleans did when they had Harty for four seasons.’

‘“Sean and I have worked together for over a decade and so obviously there’s a lot of experiences together, there’s a lot of dialogue that we’ve had over the years, trust that we built with each other,” Washington said. “At the end of the (2022) season, once we sat down and kind of talked about his new role and how I could best assist him, be a great resource for him, we talked about that and we decided that that was a move that we wanted to make and I was excited to do it.”’

‘“It’s just the way the universe works man; it’s truly a blessing,” Poyer said.’

‘Hamlin worked without restriction for most of the offseason program after he was given clearance, and that continued for the first four days of training camp. But Monday was the first time the team was in pads and there was much more contact as it worked through the script of plays and drills.’

‘Well, it wasn’t really a public appearance as she stayed inside the vehicle and no one could really see her. But coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen were among those who said hello to the Fairport High School graduate.’

‘In the offseason Beane signed Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield as free agents and drafted Justin Shorter and Dalton Kincaid – who, let’s face it, is way more a receiver than he is a tight end – to join returning receivers Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Khalil Shakir. Apparently Beane is not satisfied because the Bills brought in and signed slot receiver Andy Isabella and worked out former Patriots’ first-round pick N’Keal Harry.’

‘“Everybody always says it was my height,” he said of the lack of belief so many had in him, “but you gotta make a believer out of people. That’s all it takes. I just kind of kept my head down and was grinding, just trying to do my best to get better every year. And I felt like I kind of accomplished that.”’

‘Isabella was the sixth of six wide receivers on the roster in 2021 − stuck behind DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and Christian Kirk − and only had one catch while being inactive for half of the Cardinals’ games. Arizona released Isabella a month into 2022 and he landed on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad for the majority of the year. Baltimore released him on Tuesday. Isabella has 33 career receptions for 447 yards and three TDs.’

‘“It means a lot, the bosses are on my side at the end of the day, and they know football best for the Bills,” Davis said Thursday following training camp practice at St. John Fisher University. “You got the guys who run the team and run the organization saying that they’re on my side with things and they trust and believe in me. I mean, there’s no better feeling to have when you go out on the field that the other guys that are out there with you don’t want to replace you, they want to keep you there, and they know the potential and the success you can have.”’

‘Beyond Diggs, it’s a big season for Davis, an inconsistent player heading into the final year of his original rookie deal. Davis set career highs for receptions and yards last year, but he also mixed in far too many games where he simply wasn’t a factor and that allowed defenses to pay more attention to Diggs.’

‘It didn’t feel like he was paying lip service to the inquiring media just to get everyone off his back and close this chapter.’

‘”Oh, my God!” the girl said aloud as Allen inched closer to her along the barricade. She asked Allen for a picture with him.’

‘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.’