Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Roughly an hour after Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott told the media "it's a matter of time" before they'll settle on the second starting cornerback spot opposite Tre'Davious White, both Dane Jackson and Kaiir Elam did their part to continue that competition at St. John Fisher University.
"I don't really have a set date," McDermott said about the spot, which also includes Christian Benford competing. "You'll know when you know, and you'd like it to be sooner rather than later for all these decisions. But in fairness to the player and the process, just giving it time to play out."
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Not long after, Jackson picked off quarterback Josh Allen in 11-on-11, as Allen rolled to his left and sailed a ball over the head of his intended target.
Several minutes later, Elam had an interception of his own, snatching one that appeared to be the result of miscommunication between Allen and his receiver.
Both Jackson and Elam, along with Benford, continued to rotate with the first and second defensive units.
Here is what also stuck out from Thursday's practice session at Bills training camp:
Murray making noise
Veteran running back Latavius Murray, who grew up just down the thruway in Syracuse, continues to have a solid training camp.
The 33-year-old had several strong runs on Thursday, and when he has strong runs, they really stand out. It's very noticeable when Murray gets the ball with any space with his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame.
Murray is now the oldest active running back in the league, but since camp started, he has looked fresh and energetic.
While so much talk has been around James Cook and Damien Harris in the backfield, Murray deserves to be discussed as a viable option in the offense.
Shakir and Isabella
A player I'd like to see a little more from is wide receiver Khalil Shakir. He's had some really good moments and some not-so-good ones so far this training camp.
During 11-on-11 red zone work on Thursday, Allen looked towards Stefon Diggs, but because there was good coverage, he scanned his eyes back to the middle of the field. There he saw Shakir and tried to thread the needle to him in the back of the end zone.
Shakir did a great job to go low and try to come up with it before hitting the ground, but ultimately could not hold on. A tough catch to make, but also one he could have come up with.
Isabella, signed just a few days ago, made several catches and flashed a few times throughout the practice. At only 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, the former Arizona Cardinals second-round pick has to navigate through the defense to find space.
He did a good job of that on Thursday.
Epenesa and the defensive end length
I've written before about how long the defensive end group is overall. Leonard Floyd, Gregory Rousseau, A.J. Epenessa, Shaq Lawson. The wingspans of these players can really be utilized to help change the trajectory of passes. Or, in the case of Epenessa on Thursday, reach high and bat a ball down.
That's exactly what he did coming off the edge in an 11-on-11 red zone play, forcing an Allen pass to fall incomplete.
Poona vs. O'Cyrus
During a 3-on-3 pass rush drill between offensive and defensive lineman, I noticed defensive tackle Poona Ford lined up over offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence. The 6-foot, 305-pound Ford stayed low and got his hands under the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Torrence's pads, which allowed him to drive the rookie straight back.
To Torrence's credit, he never allowed Ford to disengage and stayed locked on him. However, Ford continued to drive him back until the whistle blew.
It was a good reminder of how strong Ford is, but not bad to see Torrence maintain his positioning even while he was losing ground.
MLB battle
There was really nothing new at the middle linebacker spot.
Baylon Spector appeared to get reps both there and on the weakside behind Matt Milano. That's where Dorian Williams has been all camp, as well. McDermott said prior to practice that Williams has yet to practice in the middle. It doesn't look like he will be factoring into that competition at all.
Terrel Bernard and Tyrel Dodson also saw reps with both the first and second unit at middle linebacker.
Attendance
After missing practice on Tuesday, defensive tackle Tim Settle was back on the field. So was cornerback Kyron Brown, who had missed a couple of days.
Wide receivers Bryan Thompson (concussion) and Isaiah Coulter (knee) were both out again.
At the very end of practice, right tackle Spencer Brown walked over to the sideline, met with a couple of trainers, and they all walked off the field together before the rest of the team finished their post-practice stretching routine.
Next up:
The entire team will head back to Orchard Park for the annual "Return of the Blue and Red" open practice on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium.
Follow me on Twitter: @SalSports
