
5 takeaways from Buffalo Bills 2025 minicamp
The Buffalo Bills wrapped up their 2025 minicamp last week. The team now heads into the quiet days of the offseason.
Training camp will be here before we know it, but before we get there, the Bills gave us some things to note from minicamp.
Here are fiveb takeaways from the Bills' 2025 minicamp sessions:
Cook shows
Pro Bowl running back James Cook was in the building for minicamp.
Yes, it's mandatory, but that does not mean a player in Cook's situation always shows up. He wants a new contract and it has not come yet... but Cook still showed good faith by practicing at minicamp.
"I like my money, you know," Cook said with a smile while explaining why he was in attendance.
Others sit out
While Cook did workout, plenty of other players did not because of injury or other reasons.
The list of players who only worked out individually instead of with the rest of the team or not at all include:
S Cole Bishop
OL Connor McGovern
DB Cam Lewis
DE Joey Bosa
LB Baylon Spector
RB Ty Johnson
WR Laviska Shenault
WR KJ Hamler
OL Alec Anderson
First-round rookie injured
Separate from those above, first-round rookie cornerback Max Hairston did practice with his new team during training camp. However, general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Hairston sustained a hamstring injury on the third and final minicamp practice but he is expected to be OK by training camp in July
Wide receivers step up
While there is still no clear-cut No. 1 playmaker for quarterback Josh Allen in the Bills offense, a few players did flash during minicamp.
New addition Elijah Moore was given credit for his route running by WKBW-TV, although, Khalil Shakir was still namely the likely top option for Allen still. In addition, tight end Dalton Kincaid was praised by many onlookers including WIVB-TV. Meanwhile, Josh Palmer was given early signs of approval as well.
A lot of praise for local Joe Andreessen
It remains to be seen exactly what his role will be in 2025, however, local Buffalo product Joe Andreessen got rave reviews from just about everyone at the workouts including The Athletic.
The outlet said Andreessen showed "definitive signs of progress," specifically in pass covered. Even so, it is admittedly early on in the offseason and what happens ahead of next season is still a mystery.

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Indianapolis Star
a few seconds ago
- Indianapolis Star
Does a Trey Hendrickson trade make sense for the Colts? A look at the possibilities
UPDATE: This story originally posted March 7 but has been updated and republished with the latest report connecting the Colts to Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson as a trade partner. The best player Lou Anarumo has ever coached as a defensive coordinator is on the trade market. The Bengals are allowing NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson to seek a trade, according to multiple reports. The Colts are an easy dot to connect. But they'll be far from the only interested suitor. First-team All-Pros at premium positions don't become available in trades very often. Indianapolis is one of three teams that has reached out recently with interest in Hendrickson, along with Cleveland and Carolina, FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz reported on X. Ever since Myles Garrett and then TJ Watt reset the non-quarterback market with the Browns, Hendrickson became the top available player theoretically on the trade market. Hendrickson is worth exploring for the Colts, given the obvious connection with Anarumo, the defensive coordinator they hired this spring to replace Gus Bradley. Here are the pros, cons and likelihood of what a Hendrickson trade could look like: General manager Chris Ballard spent this spring lamenting the fact that he didn't bring in more outside players the past two seasons. He regrets not closing the deal on a couple of his dreamed-upon swings, including last year in free agency, when he fell short of a pursuit for five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter. If he wants to prove that change in philosophy with a major swing, and if he wants to bring home that established star edge rusher he wanted a year ago, it'll be hard to top this. That puts Hendrickson at the top of the Colts' list in terms of best players they could possibly pursue. At 30 years old, he's already posted four double-digit sack seasons, including last year's 17.5 that led the NFL. Since he became a full-time player with the Saints in 2019, he's averaged 14 sacks per season. He hasn't missed a game since 2022, and he played 73% of the Bengals' defensive snaps last season. The underlying numbers are just as impressive as Hendrickson finished last season No. 2 in ESPN's pass-rush win rate metric, sandwiched between Hunter and Micah Parsons. His 85 pressures were 13 more than any other edge rusher last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. And there's no questioning that the Colts would know how to use him. Anarumo was the defensive coordinator Hendrickson signed with in 2021, and they went to the Super Bowl in their first year together. Last year, when seemingly everything else fell apart for the Bengals defense, Hendrickson turned in his best season. Anarumo needs much more than Hendrickson to be successful, as last season proved. But he does need a difference maker at a premium position, and the Colts don't quite have one to offer at the moment. Kenny Moore II is a terrific nickel cornerback, but teams have found ways to avoid him in recent seasons. The same can be said at times for DeForest Buckner, who sees more double teams than any interior defender in the game. In Indianapolis, Hendrickson could line up next to Buckner and terrorize the blind side of a quarterback. The Colts would still have work to do on that side of the ball, but one big swing like this could let them hunt in the second and third waves of free agency and look to the draft to build out the unit, rather than what they've done in the past, when they've placed so much of the upside on rookies. Hendrickson has one year left on his deal at what would be $16 million for the team that trades for him. An extension will be a must. But the Colts can offer one with a quarterback on a rookie contract, or opposite spot the Bengals are in. Indianapolis could be a good fit for one reason: It has a good, younger defensive end to offer back in Kwity Paye, though he is currently dealing with a groin injury. That could matter to a Bengals team still looking to contend with Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins but that will have lost both starting defensive ends in Sam Hubbard and Hendrickson. Could Paye and a 2025 second-round pick be a solid offer, or at least get them close? If Paye doesn't excite enough, could Laiatu Latu get a deal to come through, where Hendrickson would be the fully realized version of what they need that spot to provide right now? If the Colts were to trade Paye and then cut Samson Ebukam, whose role would be diminished and who is currently dealing with a back issue, they would actually save $4 million for 2025 on subbing in Hendrickson. They'll need an extension, but they could see Hendrickson as a more expensive substitute for the deal Dayo Odeyingbo signed in free agency. Hendrickson brings a few characteristics the Colts could really value right now: Trust and experience in Anarumo's system, elite play at a premium position and extensive playoff experience. As they search for new voices and credibility among their top players on this side of the ball. This could also be the time to go all-in on the pass rush since the offseason's model of building through the secondary has taken a hit. Third-round Minnesota rookie Justin Walley was the favorite to start at outside cornerback until he tore his ACL. The other options, Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents, have missed weeks with hamstring injuries. And then the replacement, undrafted rookie Jonathan Edwards, left Saturday's preseason game against the Packers with a brain injury. The Colts still have their big splashes in cornerback Charvarius Ward and free safety Camryn Bynum healthy, for now. But strong safety Nick Cross is dealing with a hip flexor, and Moore missed last week with a knee injury. Indianapolis could use a secondary reinforcement right now, but if one isn't available, doubling down on the pass rush could be the next-best way to create a potent defense and to account for the weak spot at linebacker. It's hard to find a more impactful swing. Of the places on the Colts roster that need more attention and resources, edge rusher isn't exactly high on the list. In fact, it can be easily argued that the Colts have loaded up on too many expensive options at this spot and left a secondary too bare to play along with it. In an offseason that was supposed to be about evening out those resources to the back end, where Anarumo's scheme is really built, this move can feel a little luxurious. It's a swing that a contender like the Bills or Eagles or Rams might try, but that's because those teams know what they have at quarterback and are already planning on games in January that they need a game-wrecker for. That's not where the Colts are entering a third season with Richardson that they've built as an open quarterback competition with Daniel Jones, casting real doubt on the short- and long-term fit of their signal-caller. In an AFC run by monster quarterbacks, they don't feel close, as Ballard has pointed out. And as great as Hendrickson is, he won't make up for the lack of a passing game in the end. estimates Hendrickson's market value at a two-year deal for $29.5 million per season, but that was before Garrett re-set the market at $40 million per season. It makes sense that Hendrickson will push for around $35 million, which is what Maxx Crosby just inked with the Raiders. The Colts just spent the No. 15 overall pick on Latu, and with Paye on the fifth-year option, the position isn't exactly in need. And although they have a rookie quarterback contract right now, that could change in the coming months and seasons, making a $35 million annual salary difficult to swallow. It's also worth wondering if a defensive scheme built back to front can reach its ceiling with another edge rusher when the secondary injuries are as pronounced as they are. The Colts have had a hard time getting home in the pass rush with the weaknesses in coverage in recent years, and would that change if a waiver claim or street signing is starting at outside cornerback? The last time the Colts hired a defensive coordinator, Ballard made a trade for his trusted edge rusher. That was in 2022, when he sent cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders for Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue to reunite him with Bradley. It's not the same situation, as Ngakoue wasn't part of a bidding war or nearly of the status Hendrickson is. But it does indicate the thought process in a general manager who is obsessed with the trenches. It's hard to know exactly what the Bengals are looking for in a trade like this, except that we know they want to shed salary while still contending, and the bar will be pretty high. Given the likely need to draft a quarterback in the first round next year, the odds that the Colts are at the top of the bidding market feel low. The Colts present a unique fit with Paye to offer in a trade. The Bengals could either iron out a more manageable extension with Paye than what Hendrickson could command or could let Paye walk and recoup a compensatory draft pick to keep managing their cap situation. The looming extension will allow Hendrickson to help navigate his trade destination, and that could help Indianapolis out, depending on just how strong his connection with Anarumo is. But he's also turning 31 in December, so if his top priority is to win a Super Bowl, he'll find quarterbacks and teams with more to offer him right now than Indianapolis, especially considering the coaching staff and front office he'd be joining could be on the hot seat. The Colts don't tend to win bidding wars. They have also struggled over the years to meet the bonus and guarantee demands of top free agents, and that would need to change since Hendrickson will have options. This would be the kind of swing on a publicly available asset the Colts haven't really made under Ballard. (Remember, the Buckner trade in 2020 was pretty closed-doors and not based on a trade request.) Thus, they won't be the favorites to land Hendrickson. But the fit and their desires for change make it more realistic than many would assume.


USA Today
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Report: Panthers interested in trading for Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson
Could the Carolina Panthers be on the prowl for one of the game's top sack artists? According to league insider Jordan Schultz, the Panthers are among the teams interested in trading for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Schultz also included the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts as potential suitors for the 30-year-old pass rusher, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks this past season. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Hendrickson may be available in potential trade talks. Rapoport and Pelissero reported on Sunday afternoon that the Bengals are now listening to offers for the 2024 first-team All-Pro as contract talks between the two sides have reached an impasse. Hendrickson, a third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints back in 2017, has played the last four seasons in Cincinnati. He amassed 57.0 sacks over that run, with each campaign resulting in a Pro Bowl selection. D.J. Wonnum and Pat Jones II are currently listed as Carolina's two starters off the edge. The Panthers also spent their pair of Day 2 selections from the 2025 draft on second-rounder Nic Scourton and third-rounder Princely Umanmielen. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Should Eagles have an interest in Trey Hendrickson after Bengals listen to trade offers?
The Eagles always do their due diligence on potential Pro Bowl additions, and after months of back and forth, the Bengals are prepared to listen to offers for star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson ended his contract holdout after roughly one week of Bengals training camp and reported, but remains watching from the sidelines during this contract extension impasse with the team. This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Should the Eagles have interest in acquiring Trey Hendrickson?