Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The first day of padded practices at any level of football always brings with it plenty of nervous anticipation, physicality, and usually a skirmish or two.
That’s exactly what happened when the Buffalo Bills took the field on Monday at St. John Fisher University.
The first real scuffle came when the offense and defense were working 11-on-11.
After a short gain on a run play, there were some words exchanged between defensive lineman Branson Deen and offensive lineman Alec Anderson. That resulted in some pushing and shoving between the two.
Defensive end Kingsley Jonathan came rushing in and pushed Anderson, who responded with a shove of his own.
More players gathered around before eventually separating and going back to their respective sides.
Later, Mack Hollins made a catch on a rollout pass from Josh Allen. After the play, he turned around and threw the ball at Kaiir Elam, who was in coverage. There was a brief gathering of players, but nothing else came of it.
Edwards, Claypool out
The most notable news of the day came off the field when head coach Sean McDermott announced that safety Mike Edwards is week-to-week with a hamstring injury.
Edwards missed most of OTAs and minicamp recovering from shoulder surgery. Through the first four practices, he had been working with both the first and second unit on defense.
In his absence, Damar Hamlin and rookie Cole Bishop both saw time with the top unit on Monday, lining up next to Taylor Rapp.
Claypool injured his ankle on Sunday, and did not see the field after that. He did not practice on Monday, and was termed "day-to-day" by McDermott.
Offensive lineman Mike Edwards is in concussion protocol and did not participate on Monday.
Ty Johnson injury
At the tail end of one of the very first plays of 11-on-11, running back Ty Johnson was tackled by linebacker Terrel Bernard. Johnson stayed on the ground for quite a while. Trainers tended to him, looking at his right leg.
He eventually walked off the field with them and into the locker room.
Well after practice was over, I saw Johnson outside the locker room near the pre-practice field. He had a long black sleeve on his right leg, and was walking with a limp. He was not wearing any type of brace, though.
Vets get rest day
Linebacker Matt Milano, edge rusher Von Miller, and cornerback Taron Johnson all received veteran rest days on Monday.
Cook returns
Running back James Cook, who missed Sunday's practice with an excused personal absence, was back on the field in a full capacity on Monday.
Shavers and Thompson looking good
There is a lot of competition at the wide receiver spot, especially after the top-four players.
Tyrell Shavers continues to make his case, and is being rewarded for it. Once again on Monday, he saw plenty of reps with the first-team offense.
Fellow wide receiver Bryan Thompson, who had a very strong spring, made another splash play when he caught a pass downfield from Shane Buechele on a crossing pattern for a big gain.
Run defense solid
While it's only the first padded practice, the first unit run defense looked good. They were fast and rallying to the football.
Linebacker Dorian Williams, playing in place of Milano, had a couple really nice run fits in the gap for stops.
Allen to Samuel and Kincaid... repeat
The Allen-to-Curtis Samuel or Dalton Kincaid connections continued to grow, with several more passes going their way, and for excellent gains.
Flip the script
Last week, there was a day when Allen threw interceptions on three-consecutive passes. A lot was made of it.
On Monday, there were three-straight passes in 11-on-11 that resulted in big plays. First, he hit Khalil Shakir down the seam, then tight end Quintin Morris through the middle. Then he hit wide receiver Keon Coleman near the sideline, who had to do a juggling act, but came up with the ball as he did a summersault.
Next up:
The team is back on the field for another 9:45 a.m. ET start on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady will speak to the media at around 9:15 a.m. ET.
