Buffalo Bills training camp 2023: 3 burning questions

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – Buffalo Bills training camp returns to St. John Fisher University on July 26 and with it comes questions Bills Mafia is itching to know.

3. What will Sean McDermott’s role look like in camp?

Let’s not forget that Sean McDermott is wearing two hats this season. The head coach will also assume defensive coordinator roles. In essence, he will be calling the shots on the defensive end, taking over from Leslie Frazier.

Buffalo Bills training camp will only be a fraction of what to expect once the season actually starts, but it will be interesting to note McDermott’s demeanor. It seems like a lot of pressure on one guy’s shoulders, but being a defensive guy first, it might be the perfect situation for McDermott.

As I said, we’ll have to wait until actual game action to make official judgements, but I’m sure there will be something different in the way he coaches during camp.

2. How will Josh Allen’s throwing arm look?

We got to see Allen throw the ball in OTAs, but the real test will be Buffalo Bills training camp. It’ll be two weeks of ramped up football activities, a good measuring tool to see how much Allen’s UCL injury has healed.

Now, I’m no doctor, but everything surrounding Allen’s UCL injury is tricky. It’s sort of a hit-or-miss type of situation. Allen never had surgery for the right elbow sprain, and that’s because the Bills said he didn’t need it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of the clear. Football is a contact sport, so the chance Allen re-injures his elbow is probably a bit higher than people living in Western New York would like to hear.

Of course, training camp isn’t the same as an actual game, but it will be the most reps and football activities Allen’s been involved with since last season. If he responds positive and looks healthy, it will help cure a lot of anxiety within Bills Mafia.

1. Will Von Miller practice, and in what capacity?

During Bills OTAs, Von Miller predicted he would be ready to play week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. In case you don’t know why that’s important, because maybe you’ve been living under a rock for the past eight months, Miller is recovering from an ACL injury. He tore it in the Bills Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions.

Typically, it takes anywhere from 9-12 months, and sometimes longer, before an NFL player returns to the field after tearing an ACL. Miller’s already gone through one, and at 34-years-old, would be thought to have a harder time returning to the field too quickly.

Maybe the man is made of steel or maybe he’s just utterly optimistic, but returning to NFL action less than 10 months after tearing your ACL seems too good to be true. Of course, participating in the Buffalo Bills training camp less than 8 months after the injury would be next to impossible. That is, unless Von Miller is Superman!

And I hate to break it to ya, Von, but Josh Allen already has that title.

Maybe he’ll settle for Batman, who knows. All I know is Von Miller could be back in one way or another during training camp and that’s the one storyline all of Bills Mafia will have their eyes on.