WGR

‘”I believe that in the group right now, obviously the best thing is we’ve got Cole back in the fold with things,” Babich told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park. “All those reps that he missed from his injury, now we’re starting to make headway, in that way.”‘

‘”I think we’re looking for that other safety to play alongside of ‘T-Rapp’,” he told reporters Tuesday. “There’s been really good moments for all those guys back there, young and some of the more veteran guys that are back there that have played for us. But I think we’re still looking to find who is it going to be. And how consistent can they become. And how quickly can they grow if they’re a younger player. So you’re always looking to figure that other piece out. Right now for us, we know who ‘T-Rapp’ is. We know what he brings to the table. It’s what other piece can go along with ‘T-Rapp’?”‘

‘”The ability to change arm slot, to change ball positioning, some guys are faster, some guys are slower, some guys are bigger, some guys are smaller, and we’re asking them to run the same routes,” Allen said. “If you’ve got a 6-foot-4 guy running the same route as a 5-foot-10 guy, the ball is going to be a little bit different. So it’s all reactionary stuff, and I think it’s a good thing.”‘

‘“Certainly not up to our standard, what we expect and we have a lot of work to do.Doesn’t matter who’s out there… one, two’s, three’s, four’s, whoever it is we expect them to perform and we expect our level of performance to be much better than that.”’

‘In all honesty, if I tried to list everything that deserved an Arrow Down, this column would read longer than a supermarket receipt for a family of five.’

‘The Bills only gained a total of 180 yards offensively to Chicago’s 528 total yards of offense.’

‘The team just got both Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop back from injuries. If they’re on the field together, it’s important to see the chemistry they’re trying to develop. If not, whoever is playing – and when – may tell us a lot about how the coaching staff feels about their depth, especially considering versatile defensive back Cam Lewis has missed time this week with a calf injury.’

‘Most notably, both safeties Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp were back on the field together. While they were officially termed as “limited” prior to practice by head coach Sean McDermott, they lined up next to each other every time the first unit defense was on the field for either 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 work.’

‘The Bills did an excellent job defending the Bears’ run game. They really flew to the football and got physical between the tackles. A couple went for big yards, but mostly Chicago was held down.’

‘Safeties Taylor Rapp (knee) and Cole Bishop (quad) had both been out since the team was at St. John Fisher University for training camp over a week ago. Both players participated in individual position work on Tuesday, but appeared to be full participants throughout Wednesday’s session, including playing 11-on-11 against the offense.’

‘As first reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter and NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Bills and Cook have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $48 million, with $30 million of that money guaranteed. He is now under contract with the Bills through the 2029 season.’

‘”James is a good player for us. You never want those things to happen in training camp, but good to finally have it over and done with, and we can move forward. Very happy to have that dealt with,” said McDertmott on Wednesday while appearing on WGR during “Schopp and the Bulldog”.’

‘ Cook, who had been staging a “hold-in” over the status of his contract, appeared to participate fully in the session held on the outside grass of their practice facility.’

‘ “I think I’m in a good spot,” he said following Tuesday’s practice in Orchard Park. “I think that going and practicing against somebody [Friday in Chicago] when we’re not live, I think those are good reps to get. So no, I don’t think I need preseason reps, but if I were to get them, I’d appreciate them. But I don’t think it’s a situation where I need to get out there.”’

‘”Thought the guys fought hard to to stay in the game at times, and then and then mount a comeback at the end there. Really appreciate that. That said there’s a lot we can take from this game, both young and old, and coaches and players. So that’s really where you start with it. You go and look at the film, and there’ll be a lot to go through tomorrow when we get together.”‘