Buffalo Bills training camp preview: Key dates, notable additions, biggest storylines

With NFL training camps kicking off in July, it's time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Jeremy Bergman has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the AFC East.

Catch up on the Buffalo Bills' offseason developments and 2024 outlook below.

Training Camp Dates/Information

• Players report: July 16 (rookies); July 23 (veterans)
• Location: St. John Fisher University | Rochester, N.Y. (fan information)

Notable Roster Changes

Preseason Schedule

• Week 1: vs. Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. ET on Sat., Aug. 10
• Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 p.m. ET on Sat., Aug. 17
• Week 3: vs. Carolina Panthers | 1 p.m. ET on Sat., Aug. 24

2024 Schedule Notes

• The Bills are scheduled to play five prime-time games this season, tied for fourth-most in the league.
• Buffalo has eight games against 2023 playoff teams, including both Super Bowl LVIII participants.
• The Bills are one of five teams to have a three-game road trip during the 2024 season (Weeks 4-6).

-- NFL Research

What you need to know

1) Is Buffalo winging it at wide receiver? This offseason, the Bills lost Stefon Diggs (via trade) and Gabe Davis (via free agency), as well as Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield. In their stead, Buffalo drafted the quotable Keon Coleman, signed veterans Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and added Mack Hollins and Chase Claypool. Khalil Shakir is the only notable WR returning from last year's team. How this room shakes out isn't just the top storyline of Buffalo's camp, but with Josh Allen in his prime, it could be the most intriguing in the NFL. There are nearly 180 vacated receptions up for grabs in Western New York. Who wants 'em?

2) On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Buffalo also parted with some veteran members of its secondary. Jordan Poyer took his talents to South Beach; Micah Hyde remains a free agent after seven years with the Bills; and former All-Pro Tre'Davious White is in Tinseltown. Those departures required a minor overhaul in the Buffalo defensive backfield. Second-round rookie Cole Bishop might be the new Poyer, but the Bills' secondary looks to be in a shaky spot. It will be worth monitoring during camp.

3) Remember Matt Milano? The 2022 All-Pro linebacker's 2023 season ended after five games due to a fractured leg, sidelining him during what should have been a crowning campaign. With Milano on the mend -- he was a participant in minicamp -- and Buffalo's veteran defensive captains (Hyde and Poyer) no longer on the roster, 2024 could serve as gratification delayed but not denied for the linebacker. Milano has an opportunity in his recovery this summer to put his stamp on a team dealing with significant turnover. He could be the Allen-esque leader of the Bills defense.

4) Is this a make-or-break year for Sean McDermott? Buffalo has enjoyed success under the coach's seven years of stewardship that it hasn't seen since the Marv Levy days, and yet, the Bills have been oh so close, oh so far from the promised land for four years running now, winning four straight division titles but falling in the Divisional Round three times. It's hard when Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow are in the way, but Allen's no chump. McDermott shoulders the responsibility for those postseason failures. While last season's turnaround from 6-6 at the bye was impressive and McDermott is signed through the 2027 season, one wonders what a disappointing 2024 campaign could mean for the Bills skipper. With fewer stars than ever in Buffalo, will the pressure on McDermott start to be felt right away in training camp and continue through the season?

5) Gable Steveson: Possible stud? The Olympic wrestling gold medalist signed with the Bills earlier this offseason and has earned raves from McDermott and others. At 6-foot-1, he's Aaron Donald-sized as a defensive tackle, give or take 20 pounds; it's a nice comp, but not a terribly responsible one. Instead, Steveson is a perfect training camp story. A novelty and freak talent in another sport parachuting in for a summer to try his hand at football? Steveson is ready and Gable to crack Buffalo's roster.

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