Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘The 24-year-old who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and spent the entire season on the practice squad, is considered a longshot to make the final 53-man team because ahead of him there’s Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Mack Hollins who appear to be locks, plus veterans Marques Valdes-Scantling and Chase Claypool.’

‘The temperature was in the mid-80s and this might have been the most humid day at camp since the Bills arrived last Wednesday, so the heat index was brutal. And while it was slightly overcast early, the sun was out in full force for the final five practice periods.’

‘Jackson was released on Christmas Day last year by the Denver Broncos following his second suspension of the season. Houston signed him up for the final two games and the playoffs.’

‘Having graduated from Aquinas High School and SUNY Brockport, then working 10 years for a Rochester-based marketing and consulting firm, the native of Walworth had just been hired by the Buffalo Bills for the newly created position of senior manager of Rochester operations.’

‘“This is a grown man,” general manager Brandon Beane said of the 23-year-old defensive tackle when he learned of that little tidbit. “I would say he is mature beyond his years, being around him through the process this spring and I think that shows right there. You’re always looking to add leaders to positions. He politely asked me what took us so long to call him – he did it in a nice way, so, I said we were just waiting for the right moment.”’

‘All were injured on Sunday, and Mike Edwards might be the most serious as he pulled a hamstring and coach Sean McDermott termed him week-to-week which is never a good designation. It’s not season-ending, but it’s not day-to-day, either.’

‘When the demand flooded in on the April Fool’s Day post, it was time to act, Folaron stated — and faster than a quarterback Josh Allen bullet to whoever his favorite target is now. Keon Coleman? Dalton Kincaid? Khalil Shakur?’

‘“I feel like we have quite a bit of weapons on offense, so I wouldn’t say that I’m the guy,” Kincaid modestly said. “The offense is just going to go through so many people this year that it’s gonna help everybody out. You know, we’re going to open everybody up and with Josh back there, he’s gonna get everybody the ball. So I think definitely a couple more targets this year, which will be nice, but our room looks good and the weapons we have on offense is pretty cool.”’

‘“Guys around the league that I’m close to, we would talk probably in generalities because it is so new,” Smiley said Sunday morning before the Bills returned to training camp after a day off. “If you think you figured something out, you don’t (share), especially if you’re playing that guy (this season).’

‘“I didn’t know he was as funny as he is,” Beane said when the Bills first arrived at St. John Fisher University Wednesday. “I’ve had more texts from people all over the country that I don’t talk to – ‘I don’t know how good your guy is, but I sure love watching his interviews.’ I’m like, ‘Well, hopefully his game matches his interviews.’”’

‘“If I was 50%, like nobody was going to stop me from going out there,” he said. “But the truth, just being honest with you guys, is my knee wasn’t at a place where I could go and I could move and I could do the things that I wanted to do. I mean, I could play but that was just about it.”’

‘“It’s everything I thought it would be, honestly,” Samuel said after practice Friday. “He’s a great quarterback in this league and my job is to go out there and make sure I’m in tune with the playbook, make sure I know what I’m doing, build that trust with him to know that I’m out there, and understand what my assignment is.”’

‘To my knowledge, this is the first time she has exited the vehicle there, and this was certainly the first time she did the post-practice breakdown.’

‘“You’ll see everyone out there at practice today and they’ll be out there in full capacity,” coach Sean McDermott said before the workout, something he may not say again for the rest of 2024. “I would say as we go through camp, some guys will be managed, Milano just to name one of them, but there’ll be some guys that get vet days as we go.”’

‘But while Allen is undeniably the most important player, the superstar quarterback around which everything revolves, Brady holds the title of offensive coordinator and ultimately, he’s going to be calling the plays that Allen runs, and he’ll also be taking the heat if things don’t work.’