Two Bills Drive

'For the most part, it was a typical practice for Sammy Watkins. The fourth-year wide receiver caught three passes during team drills, included a contested ball, and otherwise showed the same burst and physicality that have made him a dominant receiver at times. After having a second foot surgery this offseason, however, seeing Watkins on the field looking like himself was noteworthy. It's tough to say the last time he's looked that comfortable.'

'"I love Buffalo, they drafted me first round, fourth pick. You don't want to change teams. My job is to stay around here forever, and that's the goal."'

'The Bills brought in wide receiver Anquan Bolding for a pre-camp visit on Monday but left Buffalo without signing a contact. The Bills brass of head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane were asked for the update. McDermott said the process takes time on "both ends" while Beane only commented it was a nice visit. Boldin is seemingly only mulling over an offer from Buffalo, so the situation seems like the 36-year-old is deciding between Buffalo and retirement.'

'"Of course he’s an explosive playmaker, one of the best in this league, and having us on the same page definitely brings a lot of positive to our offense," Taylor said. "He’s fired up. I spent some time with him over the summer; physically, mentally he’s ready to go, so I’m excited to see what type of year he’s going to have."'

'“It’s all about opportunities at this level,” Gillislee said. “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve always maximized my opportunities. We have a lot of great backs here, and we compete hard every day.”'

'He spent time visiting with many of his former Nicholls coaches and teammates while attending the 10th annual Pro Football Camp held at John L. Guidry Stadium on July 21.'

'"I have nothing to prove. I know what I'm capable of doing," Watkins said. "My job is to go out there and earn it this year. And if I'm healthy on the field and I'm out there playing with the guys, I'll be all right."'

'Having pleaded not guilty earlier this week, Washington says he's also relieved to know he's still on the Bills roster after his arrest on July 9.'

'The Bills have made it clear to Watkins that it is on him to deliver this season. The team did not pick up the fifth-year option on his contract because it wants to see how the season plays out.'

'Head coach Sean McDermott certainly has his defense thinking “takeaway” every play. Defenders’ hands were constantly slapping or punching at the football until the very end of every play. Of course, with no tackling allowed yet, it’s easier to do that and not worry about missing a tackle. But it’s noteworthy considering he’s made mention plenty of times this offseason about being a team that needs to be aggressive and take away the football.'

'“I haven’t even put in thought about it,” he said. “My job is to go out there and try to catch as many touchdowns and balls and help this team win. Everything else will play out and I have got to earn it.'

'"It's only going to get more and more intense as the season draws closer," McDermott said with the Bulldog and Sal Capaccio on WGR on Thursday. "Again, this isn't my first year in the NFL… I've got a great staff around me, and we're going to work well together and I'm going to be banking on them for things, they're counting on me and I've got a great group of players to work with, so they make my job a lot easier."'

'While Beane is excited, he does realize that improving this team will not happen overnight, "I'm fired up to be in this position, I'm fired up about what we've done. Sean (McDermott) has done a great job even before I got here getting the culture going. It's not an overnight thing, we're not there, we're doing it day by day, practice by practice. But I'm excited to watch us grow. Really, the journey it has started, but the real football starts now… hopefully we see, day by day, incremental growth as an offense, as a defense, as special teams and as a collaborative team."'

'“I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m going to keep trying my best to keep doing the right thing,” he said. “Probably just the environment I go in and whatever. I’m young, I’ll make mistakes, I’ve just got to learn from them.”'

'Watkins believes his foot injury is a thing of the past and exclaimed after practice that he doesn’t want to hear about it any longer. Along with him, both Andre Holmes and Zay Jones also took reps with the first-team, which sets up for a competition between the veteran and rookie as we go forward into training camp.'