Bills Blue & Red takeaways: Keon Coleman rebounds in big way, Dalton Kincaid moving well

New York Times

a day ago

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The first of Highmark Stadium's many 'lasts' came and went Friday night, as the Bills went through their annual Blue & Red practice in front of their home fans. The Bills are entering the final year in their current stadium before calling the new Highmark Stadium, being built across the street, home in 2026.
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As the team ran through the tunnel for its annual stadium practice, franchise quarterback Josh Allen continued his tradition of sporting a custom helmet different from the rest of his teammates. Though instead of it being one he'll never wear again, it was a preview, as Allen wore the red helmet the Bills announced they'll wear during their Week 18 home game against the Jets.
That, along with some individual drills and a few throws in 7-on-7, was the extent of Allen's day, as the Bills gave him a bit of a rest during team drills after seven straight practices at training camp. Even without Allen, there were several noteworthy performances during the session.
Here's what stood out from this year's rendition of the Blue & Red practice.
One of the most talked about pieces on offense for the Bills this season is wide receiver Coleman and what growth his second season could yield from a statistical perspective. His camp has been chock-full of inconsistency. In just seven days, he's had some very good practices where he flashes elite ball skills, along with some days where the separation and concentration issues pop up. It looked like the latter was about to unfold during the stadium practice Friday. In the early stages of the night, Coleman had two bad drops, one of which went right through his hands on what would have been a big gain and easy first down on a third-and-9 in team drills.
Then, Coleman woke up — in a big way. On a third-and-10 play from Mike White, Coleman went over the top for a 36-yard catch to keep the drive alive and flip the field into defensive territory. Impressively, Coleman beat top cornerback Christian Benford on the play. Then, on Mitchell Trubisky's next chance in team drills — an end-of-game drill with the offense down a point — Coleman went over the top of cornerback Dane Jackson twice in three plays, with the two catches going for 47 yards.
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This is the type of player the Bills need to see more of, as his best way of becoming a high-end contributor is by being able to make big plays down the field in contested situations. If he can become more consistent in that area, it's the key to him living up to the ceiling and the potential the Bills see in him. But, as the inconsistency has shown this summer, there are still things to work through before he gets to that level. Regardless, this was the most impressive string of plays this summer for Coleman — even with the pair of bad drops early in the practice.
Even though an injury-plagued second season derailed some high hopes, the Bills are still firm believers in both the talent and potential impact third-year tight end Kincaid can show in 2025. Kincaid hasn't been the standout presence that he was during training camp this time last year, but glimpses of that player have been starting to resurface. On Friday, Kincaid had what looked like his best practice.
He was especially impressive against one-on-one coverage, flashing the route running and setup skills that make him such an intriguing fit for the Bills offense. He even roped in a toe-tapping pass along the sideline in the end zone, and although the touchdown didn't count because the play was blown dead with a would-be quarterback sack, his outstanding finish to the play is noteworthy. It remains to be seen what Kincaid's role will look like early in the season, and how much Dawson Knox will eat into Kincaid's time on the field, but the opportunity for Kincaid to become a standout piece of the passing offense is certainly on the table.
Over the last pair of practices, we're starting to see rookie second-round pick Sanders begin to settle in with the physicality of padded practices. He had a pair of really nice reps in team drills during the team's practice Thursday morning at St. John Fisher University, and then topped that as a pass rusher during team drills Friday night in Orchard Park.
Sanders helped to walk back a pair of offensive linemen along with defensive end Michael Hoecht and straight into the quarterback for a called sack during a goal-to-go drill. Then later, in a fourth-and-5 situation, Sanders collapsed the pocket yet again, completely dominating his one-on-one rep and moving the offensive lineman toward the quarterback. These are great signs for Sanders, who appears to be starting to turn things up through four practices in pads. However, as is always the case for rookies, it's about consistency as opposed to flashy plays here or there to grab a big role early in their NFL careers.
With Allen getting the evening off to rest during team drills, the Bills took the opportunity to take a hard look at their backup quarterback competition between Trubisky and White. Both received ample time with the first-team offense, as the practice could be one of the team's only extended opportunities to see how each player works with the unit they would have in the event of an injury to Allen.
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Unofficially, Trubisky hit 7 of his 13 passes during team drills for 91 yards, while White completed 7 of 11 passes for 77 yards. White hit the biggest play between the two, as he completed the 36-yard pass to Coleman near the beginning of team drills. Trubisky answered back in an end-of-game situation with his unit down 1 point, hitting two passes of 20-plus yards that helped set it up for a go-ahead field goal for its game simulation.
But the two players also showed some of their warts. White's lack of mobility got him into trouble in the pocket and when rolling out, while Trubisky's indeciveness on a few reps took away opportunities on plays called dead in the backfield. Neither player really pulled ahead with the extended time Friday night, but both played well enough to warrant more looks in the preseason. The Bills aren't likely any closer to a decision for Allen's backup.
Shortly after the Bills revealed that top reserve offensive lineman Anderson would miss time following a knee scope procedure, the big question revolved around who would get the reps at what has become a critical role on offense. That role is as the sixth offensive lineman on jumbo formations, and Anderson performed well in that job throughout the 2024 season.
The answer to that question, at least early on in the process, is second-year offensive tackle Grable. Grable, who has been rotating in at first-team right tackle all camp with Spencer Brown sidelined, yielded yet another vote of confidence from the team by being trusted with the Anderson role. All we know of Anderson's rehab time is that he's week to week, and if that extends into the regular season, Grable seems like the favorite to take that jumbo package role.
Right on cue after labeling him as an under-the-radar training camp riser that fans should pay attention to, wide receiver Wilkerson provided one of the biggest plays of the day during team drills. Wilkerson beat cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram deep down the field in one-on-one coverage, withstood contact from Ingram, and brought in a higher degree of difficulty catch along the sideline for a 33-yard gain.
Wilkerson has routinely been making plays throughout training camp, which has yielded him more opportunities. There doesn't seem to be a clean path to making the 53-man roster unless the Bills either keep six wide receivers, cut someone unexpected like Curtis Samuel or Elijah Moore, or a combination of the two. However, the longer Wilkerson sustains making plays in camp and earns time with the first-team offense, the more difficult he's going to make it on the Bills to cut him on August 26.
The Bills lost a pair of bigger names during their annual stadium practice when starting wide receiver Khalil Shakir did not return after having his leg examined. Backup linebacker Shaq Thompson was also unable to finish the practice due to injury. He was seen exiting the field to the tunnel with a member of the athletic training staff. The Bills have yet to reveal information on either injury, though with the team having a day off Saturday, there may not be an update until Sunday when head coach Sean McDermott addresses reporters.
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Did not practice: WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring), WR Kaden Prather (hamstring), OT Spencer Brown (back), OL Alec Anderson (knee), OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf, PUP), DE Joey Bosa (vet rest), LB Terrel Bernard (hamstring), LB Matt Milano (vet rest), LB Dorian Williams (calf), CB Maxwell Hairston (knee), CB Tre'Davious White (vet rest), S Cole Bishop (quad)
Up next: The Bills have a day off Saturday and will resume practice Sunday at St. John Fisher University.
(Top photo of Keon Coleman: Shawn Dowd / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)