Buffalo Bills football is officially back. On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran shares his firsthand observations from a wet and windy Day 1 of training camp at St. John Fisher University.

The opening practice lasted roughly 90 minutes and featured limited 11-on-11 work, one short 7-on-7 period, no one-on-ones, no red-zone work and no pads. Even with the lighter format, several developments caught Patrick’s attention. DJ Moore made one of the day’s best catches, James Cook flashed his elite burst and Keon Coleman followed an opening drop with a strong over-the-shoulder reception against Maxwell Hairston.

Coleman also received the first punt-return rep of camp, putting him squarely in the special-teams conversation alongside Mecole Hardman. Patrick evaluates what that could mean for Coleman and Buffalo’s roster construction, then turns to the punting competition after rookie Tommy Doman Jr. appeared to outperform veteran Mitch Wishnowsky on the first day.

The biggest depth-chart surprise came at linebacker, where Keonta Jenkins took first-team work while Joe Andreessen worked with the reserves. Patrick also examines the legitimate left-guard competition between Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett, Jude Bowry’s early opportunity at swing tackle, and the current pecking order in the secondary.

Finally, Patrick shares encouraging impressions of Dalton Kincaid, Josh Palmer, Skyler Bell and Michael Hoecht, while noting that Bell is beginning camp near the bottom of the receiver rotation and will have to earn his way up. Plus, Kani Walker makes an early play, Kyle Allen’s accuracy disappoints, and Patrick gives his unfiltered verdict on the Bills’ new uniforms.

Key Takeaways

  • Keon Coleman had the full Keon Coleman experience. He dropped the first pass of camp in rainy conditions, then immediately responded with a difficult over-the-shoulder catch against Maxwell Hairston. More importantly, Coleman took the first punt-return rep and may have the inside track to that job.
  • The punter competition produced an early leader. Seventh-round rookie Tommy Doman Jr. handled most of the work and, to Patrick’s eye, showed better distance and hang time than Mitch Wishnowsky. It is only one practice, but the competition is worth tracking.
  • Keonta Jenkins delivered the day’s biggest depth-chart surprise. With Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams being brought along slowly, Jenkins received the first-team linebacker reps while Joe Andreessen worked with the third group.
  • Several roster battles already look legitimate. Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett split first-team opportunities at left guard, Maxwell Hairston opened every sequence opposite Christian Benford, Jordan Hancock worked exclusively at nickel and rookie Jalon Kilgore lined up exclusively at safety.
  • The pass-catchers supplied most of the positive impressions. Dalton Kincaid looked smooth and reliable, Josh Palmer appeared quick and confident, and rookie Skyler Bell displayed natural hands and route-running ability—even though he began the day near the bottom of the receiver rotation.

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