ESPN

‘”It’s one thing to get drafted, it’s another thing to get to a second contract,” Brown said on Friday. “There’s a lot of stepping-stones and learning, you have to go through that, especially in younger years, and then just doing the same thing day in, day out and hopefully it pays off. … Then [general manager Brandon] Beane and the front office showing belief in me that I was doing the right things, and I told Beane I went from proving everybody wrong and now I got to start proving everybody right. So, I look forward to that.”‘

‘”Last season was primarily just about healing and making myself do the hard stuff, thrusting myself into things that were uncomfortable, that made me fearful or gave me anxiety,” Hamlin said.’

‘”I would say definitely grateful,” Andreessen said of making the roster. “… Grateful just to have the trust of the coaches, but I would say it was kind of like a switch because there’s still a lot left to be done. A lot left to prove, not to only me, but my teammates now because I’m given that opportunity to be on this team to help this team win.”‘

‘”He’s stuck his head in the tight end room a couple times, ‘What do y’all see here?’ … and then also, he’s getting a lot of extra work into practice too,” Knox said. “Seems like he’s just dialed in as soon as he steps out there to the second he comes off after everyone else has left.”‘

‘The team’s safeties include Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, rookie Cole Bishop, Mike Edwards and Cam Lewis. Bishop (shoulder) and Edwards (hamstring) missed almost all of training camp and the preseason with injuries but are now working back into the mix at practice.’

‘As the Dolphins’ backup quarterback last season, the 29-year-old White played in six games, completing 5 of 6 passes for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception.’

‘Questions linger around wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) and Curtis Samuel (toe), injuries in the linebackers and safeties rooms, and what to do at backup quarterback.

‘Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky (knee), wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) and tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder), who is undergoing further evaluation, will all be out multiple weeks, coach Sean McDermott said Monday. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel (turf toe), safety Damar Hamlin (hamstring) and linebacker Baylon Spector (calf) are all week-to-week.’

‘Valdes-Scantling was injured as he was being tackled by three Steelers defenders following a catch on a third-down pass from quarterback Ben DiNucci toward the end of the first half.’

‘”The good thing is he’s got a good family behind him that are going to support him, teammates that are going to support him as well as the coaching staff and our entire football organization. He’s resilient. We’ve got to be resilient. We’ve got to move forward and be focused on solutions.”‘

‘”You have to really go through it to kind of understand it. I think even after really good games… you’re gonna get a lot of people saying you’re the best, you’re so good. That’s just as bad as people telling you that,” Bass said. “My approaches are only as good as your next kick.”‘

‘A new league rule allows teams to designate two injured players on the final 53-man roster who can return later in the season, but those designations have to be made by cutdown day on Aug. 27. If the Bills and Claypool agree to an injury settlement, he would later have the opportunity to re-sign with the Bills or another team. But if he remains on IR, he will not play this season.’

‘”We didn’t control the line of scrimmage from the jump, all the way down to one of the last series we had on offense, trying to get a first down on third-and-1 … and can’t get a yard,” McDermott said. “That’s where the challenge comes in. We’ve got to embrace that challenge. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”‘

‘Steveson and Clayton were brought in for different reasons. The Bills initially looked into Steveson years prior but brought him in for a tryout this past spring as his athletic abilities meshing with the NFL intrigued them. They did not immediately sign him based on the roster at the time. Clayton, on the other hand, has extensive athletic potential — 6-foot-7, 301 pounds with the ability to run a 4.79 40-yard dash — to be developed and more flexibility with more time to do so, as IPP players grant teams an additional roster spot through camp.’

‘”It’s really, to me, it’s getting them ramped up and ready to go for the season,” McDermott said. “It’s an important step, hard to simulate the speed of the game and so getting that in preseason is important, going through warmups and the energy that comes with playing a game in front of fans, and being able to manage that. So, there’s a lot of reasons for it, like I said, it’s just another step.”‘