Buffalo's players will finally be able to reconvene at One Bills Drive this coming Monday, April 16th for the beginning of the offseason conditioning program. Here's what you need to know about the team's activities during this portion of their nine-week schedule.
1 – No football work yetThe beginning of the Bills offseason conditioning program is called Phase One under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and runs the first two weeks of the nine-week offseason schedule.
Player activities are limited to strength and conditioning work and physical rehabilitation for players recovering from offseason surgeries.
Only the strength and conditioning staff can work with and observe players during on field conditioning.
Classroom work with members of the coaching staff is the only permissible interaction at this time.
This part of the offseason program is voluntary for the players.
2 – New faces, new opportunitiesBuffalo chose to largely be value spenders in free agency this spring. Added to Buffalo's roster are at least half a dozen players who will compete for starting roles this spring and summer.
Star Lotulelei is expected to start alongside veteran Kyle Williams on the defensive interior. Trent Murphy will compete for a starting defensive end spot come September.
Vontae Davis looks like the odds-on favorite to start opposite Tre'Davious White at cornerback and both QB AJ McCarron and C Russell Bodine will compete for starting jobs too.
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With the 2018 free agency period officially open, here's a look at Buffalo's pickups.
3 – New coach impact **In addition to the promotions of Bobby Babich (safeties coach), Bill Teerlinck (defensive line coach) and Aaron Whitecotton (asst. defensive line coach), Sean McDermott hired three new position coaches to the roster.
New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and veteran receivers coach Terry Robiskie will add a lot of brain power to the offensive staff. Daboll will begin to teach his offensive scheme to the players this week, while Robiskie inherits a largely young and unproven receiving corps.
On defense, John Butler takes over a talented secondary that had a coming out party in 2017. Can the new secondary coach raise their collective performance to an even higher level in 2018?
