Buffalo Rumblings
There’s plenty to catch up on from Tuesday’s OTA, just the second session open to members of the media.
The Buffalo Bills are back on the practice field at One Bills Drive this week as the team continues working through Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Tuesday was the lone session this week with media in attendance, which revealed a bit more than is typical of these practices.
Here’s what we learned when the rubber turf pellets settled following the latest OTA session...
The least surprising news of the day was that running back James Cook continues his absent streak at OTAs. Bills Mafia is well aware of Cook’s situation heading into the final season of his four-year rookie contract. Cook wants to be paid from the team that drafted him before he hits free agency, and like a top back in the league whose 2024 production warranted such a tag. The tougher conversations about Cook will begin if he’s not in attendance once Mandatory Minicamp begins next week.
That said, offensive coordinator Joe Brady understands the situation and isn’t letting it distract the team from its offseason goals.
Cook wasn’t the only players missing from OTAs on Tuesday, with Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic noting that defensive back Cam Lewis and quarterback Josh Allen were both absent. As is typical of such absences, no further information was available.
We do know that Josh Allen just married Hailee Steinfeld, so him missing an OTA practice or two should come as no surprise. It would seem more likely any honeymoon for the power couple happens once Allen gets an extended break following Mandatory Minicamp — but his isn’t the only massively busy and important schedule to manage in this scenario, as Hailee Steinfeld continues to see her star rise as a successful Hollywood actress, singer, and fashion icon.
TLDR: There’s zero cause for concern about Josh Allen’s absence.
These sessions are somewhere in-between a typical practices and in-season walkthrus. That means players aren’t allowed to engage in football contact, but they do run drills at speed to simulate how functions of a particular play are to be executed. Among those listed as non-participants on Tuesday were defensive end Joey Bosa, right tackle Spencer Brown, linebacker Baylon Spector, and safety Damar Hamlin.
Bosa continues working through a recent calf injury, and we shouldn’t expect to see him on the field until training camp — perhaps a generous timeline by the team out of an abundance of caution for his health. The move with Bosa, like Von Miller before him, will be to limit his exposure to risk and also keep him on a snap count.
The other names in Brown, Spector, and Hamlin are a bit surprising, with no updates to their health provided as of publishing. It’s concerning to see Spector’s name here given the amount of time he’s already missed in his young career....
