Bills training camp observations, Day 5: Christian Benford shines on Day 1 in pads

New York Times

2 days ago

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — There's always a different feeling in the air at training camp once the Buffalo Bills get through the first stage. The team generally spends the first four days going through practices in just helmets, shorts and jerseys during its annual ramp-up period to 'real' football.
The fifth day has normally been the first in full pads, and that tradition continued Monday. As players exited the locker room at St. John Fisher University, they were in full pads from head to toe, meaning the physicality of training camp was about to increase exponentially.
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It's always a delicate balance in a highly competitive atmosphere, forcing McDermott to make his expectations well-known throughout his team.
'I want to see nasty, physical football, but I don't want to see a disrespect for a man's career,' he said. 'That's not how we play in Buffalo. We painted a pretty clear picture this morning of what that looks like for the new players in particular. That nastiness, that's got to be developed here. But it can't be at the expense of someone's career. So, clean, but physical.'
The Bills dealt with some questionable plays even in the first four days of camp without pads — one of which led to McDermott ejecting backup offensive lineman Alec Anderson from practice for what the coach deemed a cheap shot to another player. And even on the first day of full pads, you could sense the intensity increasing as the pads began to pop on a hot and muggy morning.
As the Bills went through their first day of padded football, what stood out? Here are several notes and updates from the day.
With the pads on for the first time, it was the first opportunity to see how players performed with the added physical element, but also players' first time in full pads since the 2024 season ended. Teams always want to see the top players shine in those settings, and top cornerback Christian Benford shined and then some on Monday. He was brilliant in multiple one-on-one drills, dominating reps on the way to pass breakups, regardless of whom he faced.
Benford locked down the bigger Keon Coleman to the point that the rep was never even close. The smaller, shiftier Khalil Shakir ran a great route and looked like he'd brought in a perfectly thrown pass from Josh Allen on the sideline, only for Benford to rip the ball out of Shakir's hands as the receiver tried to complete the catch to the ground. Benford, usually a quiet and calm presence, was ready for a rep against receiver KJ Hamler, who has a relatively chatty reputation. Benford played another lockdown rep against Hamler. The two went at it again near the end of one-on-ones, with Hamler making a catch on a 3-yard comeback, but that was the extent of the success against Benford on Monday.
There was a scary scene Sunday at the end of practice. Wide receiver Tyrell Shavers completed a catch in the end zone with rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston trailing in coverage. When Hairston took an extra step to try to rip the ball loose after the catch was made, Shavers crumbled to the ground clutching the top of his right ankle. McDermott and his staff said they discussed the play to see if there was a teaching moment, but they ultimately felt it was just football players trying to make a play.
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But the good news for Shavers is that the injury is mild — an excellent outcome considering there was potential for a season-ending injury with how it looked initially. The Athletic caught up with Shavers, who was sporting a small wrap on his right ankle, after Monday's practice.
'Definitely was scary,' Shavers said. 'X-rays and MRIs came back good. Feeling good. Just taking one day at a time.'
McDermott vaguely told reporters Shavers would be back in a couple of days if everything goes as planned. However, it's tough to pinpoint what a couple of days might mean in the context of camp when there are days off and the team's general cautiousness this time of the year with players returning from injury.
'I'm not missing too much time, I'll tell you that,' Shavers said. 'I don't want to miss any time. I obviously want to be back before the first preseason game, but my body, I'm just going to listen to it, whatever it says.'
Shavers had been making a big early impression at training camp, forcing his way into more time with the first-team offense, while also taking advantage of injuries to wide receivers Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore to get additional time with the Josh Allen-led unit. Even with the presence of Samuel and Moore, the Bills have a gap in their receiver room for a specific role.
Mack Hollins, who left in free agency, was the team's top backup for Coleman at X receiver and also lined up all over the formation. He was a very dependable run blocker and special teams player when given those reps. Shavers, who is similarly statured to Hollins at 6 foot 4, is attempting to fill that role.
He went to work in the offseason and put on five pounds of solid muscle. That might not seem like a lot, but when Shavers arrived in Buffalo in 2023, he had a thinner body type, which typically has more difficulty gaining muscle weight. Shavers' body composition is now much different than in 2023, as he's up to 211 pounds to try to give the Bills the run blocking and special teams ability they want in a fifth or sixth receiver.
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Shavers also has the advantage of time on task, with more experience in the Bills' offense than every other receiver on the team except Shakir. In his final game in 2024, when he was elevated from the practice squad against the Jets in Week 17, Shavers took a screen pass 69 yards for a touchdown. It was his first career catch and touchdown all in one play.
If there was a year for him to finally crack the 53-man roster, after being one of the last cuts last summer, it's this one.
'It's just a great opportunity to go out there and show what I can do,' Shavers said. 'With the guys that we lost last year, there's spots available, room available for guys to step up and take advantage. That's what I'm looking to do.'
Shavers is signed through the 2026 season and will likely need to convince the Bills to keep six receivers, or to unseat Samuel or Moore for one of the top five spots.
After four consecutive days of work to begin training camp, tight end Dalton Kincaid had a clear runway to work with Allen and the first-team offense. Fellow tight end Dawson Knox hasn't practiced since camp began due to a hamstring injury, and the Bills had been excited about both Kincaid's health and the offseason following a frustrating, injury-plagued 2024. During the season, Kincaid suffered a PCL injury to his left knee that helped define the second half of his season.
Ahead of Monday's practice, McDermott revealed Kincaid would not participate due to soreness in his knee. The soreness stemmed from a play Sunday when Kincaid had a few defenders around him — the Bills are unsure if there was contact that caused the soreness or if it was how Kincaid landed, but it was enough to put Kincaid on the sidelines Monday.
During practice, Kincaid was wearing a sleeve on his left leg. It is unclear if the soreness has anything to do with his 2024 PCL injury, but it certainly isn't something the Bills wanted to deal with this early into camp. Regardless, the Bills are generally conservative in July and August with injuries to their top players, because they have the time to get healthier than the regular season would normally provide. Kincaid was casually standing and throwing the ball around with Knox and tight ends coach Rob Boras on Monday. Odds are the team is just being cautious, but it remains to be seen how long that caution will keep Kincaid out of practice.
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Even after the Bills released punter Jake Camarda just ahead of training camp, new special teams coordinator Chris Tabor was quite blunt about the punting job on Sunday. While complimentary of Brad Robbins, now the only punter on the roster, the evaluation is far from over. 'Brad has not won this job,' Tabor said, effectively keeping the competition open despite there only being one punter on the team. On Monday, in Robbins' first chance to punt in team drills since Day 1, he had one of his best days with the Bills so far.
Many of his situations were different. With the chance to lay into a punt and flip the field from Buffalo's 30-yard line, Robbins connected on a pair of 57-yard punts with an excellent average hang time of 4.81 seconds. Then, with some opportunities near midfield to pin the returner deep, he landed all three at or inside the 10-yard line with ample hang time for his punt coverage gunners. The first two took a beautiful high bounce just outside the 5-yard line, with the gunner being able to get under both to down the play inside the 5. The last attempt was a skied punt with a 4.66-second hang time, and the returner had to fair catch at the 10-yard line. The performance was a big improvement from Day 1.
Day 5 MVP: CB Christian Benford — Benford remained in the hip pocket of the receivers he covered, regardless of the drill. He forced multiple pass breakups and looked every bit the player who could make an even bigger jump in production in 2025.
Did not participate: RT Spencer Brown (back, active PUP), C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf, active PUP), TE Dawson Knox (hamstring), LB Dorian Williams (calf), WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring), LB Terrel Bernard (hamstring), WR Elijah Moore (leg soreness), WR Tyrell Shavers (ankle), WR Kaden Prather (hamstring), K Tyler Bass (pelvis area soreness)