Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Even before the Buffalo Bills started their first training camp practice of 2023, there was plenty of energy and emotion at St. John Fisher University.
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It all really poured out when safety Damar Hamlin ran onto the Polisseni Track and Field facility, where the team holds its practices.
Hamlin, who did participate on a limited basis during mandatory minicamp last month, is a "full-go" for training camp, according to head coach Sean McDermott.
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Here's what else stood out from Day 1 of Bills training camp in Pittsford:
Play of the day
On the field, it was Hamlin’s secondary mate, Christian Benford, who made one of the top plays of the first day.
During an 11-on-11 red zone period, the second-year cornerback undercut a route run by Stefon Diggs, jumped in front of him, and picked off a pass thrown by Josh Allen.
Almost/Maybe Play of the Day
In the same 11-on-11 red zone session, quarterback Kyle Allen fired a pass to the back of the middle of the end zone to wide receiver Isaiah Coulter. The 6-foot-2 Coulter had to go up high to bring it down, and originally made a fantastic catch while keeping both feet in bounds as he came down.
However, it appeared Coulter couldn’t hold on to the ball at the end of the play after hitting the ground. It was close enough that it probably would’ve warranted a replay review.
Interesting defensive line
At one point during an 11-on-11 period, the Bills had a front-four on defense of Leonard Floyd, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, and A.J. Epenesa.
It will be really interesting to see the different combinations head coach and now defensive play-caller Sean McDermott come up with this season.
Torrence gets some first team reps
Rookie offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence got some first-team reps during a red zone 11-on-11 period.
At 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, Torrence is a big man. However, he’s still a rookie, and entering a different world of grown NFL men.
From my perspective, he needs to fill his body out with more muscle mass to adequately face some of the defensive linemen he’ll be going against on a weekly basis.
That said, he’s already very powerful and his athleticism jumps out for such a big guy.
Harty’s role?
With Nyheim Hines out for the season, it will be interesting to see if the Bills elect to use wide receiver Deonte Harty in that spot. Harty was a First-Team All-Pro returner in 2019.
McDermott didn’t want to disclose who is in consideration for that spot, but if it is Harty, it will come with a decision on whether or not to scale back what's expected to be a pretty significant role on offense.
Harty gave several glimpses of what he can do for that unit throughout the day. He looked sharp as a route-runner and with the ball in his hands.
During the final offense vs. defense 11-on-11, a two-minute situation, the 5-foot-6 Harty had to go way up to bring down a catch and did a great job to haul it in, getting a bunch of “oohs” and “aahs” from the capacity crowd on hand.
Kincaid watch
Rookie first-round pick Dalton Kincaid was definitely noticeable on Day 1 of training camp. He saw several targets come his way, and looked fluid and natural making catches at all different parts of the field.
Next up:
The team will be back on the practice field on Thursday at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey will meet with the media prior to practice. We will carry that session live on WGR.
Follow me on Twitter: @SalSports
