PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WKBW) — With just one day of Buffalo Bills training camp left in Rochester, the team is finalizing its preparations for the first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday against the New York Giants. But who stood out during the Bills 11th practice of camp?
Observations from Wednesday’s practice:
James Cook remains absent
Unlike during the last two practices that James Cook sat out, the Bills Pro Bowl running back was not spotted at practice on Wednesday. During the first day of his hold in, Cook watched the entire practice from the sideline. On Monday, Cook missed his second practice and briefly walked out on the field before quickly going back inside.
But during Wednesday’s practice, Cook didn’t come out on the field at any point. With just one practice left in Rochester, it’s fair to assume we may not see Cook at St. John Fisher University again this season.
Spencer Brown gets 11-on-11 work
After returning from injury on Sunday, Spencer Brown got his first work in team drills on Thursday as he saw the Bills play their starting offensive line for the first time this summer. Brown was dealing with a flare-up from a pre-existing back injury and wanted to be back with the team sooner, but knew he needed to be smart about his rehab.
“Years ago, I was worried about the locker room and how I'm being portrayed, or like what people think I can do,” Brown said about being injured. “And the confidence that my teammates have in me, and now everybody knows what I can do, and coaches know that. So more comforting, I was more relaxed going into this little flare-up, but we're solid.”
Brown is coming off his best season as a pro when he emerged as one of the top right tackles in the NFL. While missing time is never ideal, the Bills know Brown will be able to shake off the rust pretty quickly as he works back into the mix.
“Yeah, look, he's another one of those guys that I know what I got in him,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. “I wish he were out there the whole time, but he knows his body. He knows what he needs to work on. It's great getting him out there doing some of these 'individual drills' right now, and him knowing, hey, I need to work a little more on this, but I think he's in a really good place. I'm excited to be able to keep ramping him up.”
Given the injury, it’s unlikely we’ll see Brown in preseason action on Saturday. We also don’t know if Josh Allen will play on Saturday, but we should learn more from McDermott during his final press conference in Rochester on Thursday.
Matt Milano continues to flash
During the first two weeks of training camp, one of the constant standouts has been Bills linebacker Matt Milano. It’s tough to gauge Milano’s play with limited physicality during the practices, but he’s been around the ball, strong in coverage, and looks to be moving like the player we saw before his injury in 2023. Milano’s presence and health could help take the Bills defense to a new level in 2025, especially if he keeps trending towards the player he was before his two most recent serious injuries.
Tyrell Shavers stock keeps rising
If the Bills keep six wide receivers, Tyrell Shavers has to be the leader in the clubhouse to win the job. After a very strong camp in 2024, Shavers has followed it up with another very impressive summer.
Shavers is a favorite amongst the coaching staff and wide receiver room and has made big plays when called upon during the last two weeks. With Curtis Samuel sidelined for almost all of camp and Shakir injured with a high ankle sprain, Shavers is making the most of his reps.
Hard Knocks buzz not wearing off
With the first episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks debuting on Tuesday night, plenty of the talks at training camp on Wednesday were centered around the series premiere.
K.J. Hamler was one of the stars of the first episode because of his children’s electric scooter and pregnancy pillow, so we talked to him after practice about it.
AJ Epenesa was also featured in the episode after he shared the story of snake hunting in the Florida Everglades during the offseason.
A.J. Epenesa catching snakes with his barehands is a pretty insane thing, IMO. #BillsMafia @WKBW pic.twitter.com/YVBz7dzwgM
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) August 6, 2025
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