Buffalo Bills Training Camp 2021: Predictions, preview, team news, and more

The Buffalo Bills are coming off their most successful season in decades. Buffalo won the AFC East, a division dominated by the New England Patriots the last twenty years, and advanced to the AFC Championship game. Even though the Kansas City Chiefs ultimately ended the Bills' 2020 season, optimism in Buffalo is at an all-time high.

A big reason for the optimism is Josh Allen. Allen had a breakout season in 2020. His accuracy issues largely dissipated, and he put up MVP-like numbers.

The main point of concern for the Bills this upcoming season is the defense. Buffalo by no means has the worst defense in the NFL, but their 2020 performance was not good enough to win a Super Bowl. Without improvement on that side of the field, high-powered offenses like the Chiefs will continue to roll over the Bills.

The first big step to defensive improvement is a strong training camp. Buffalo training camp will kick off July 27th and be held at ADPRO Training Center, Orchard Park, NY

Buffalo Bills offseason news roundup

Instead of spending big on outside free agents this offseason, the Bills primarily spent their time retaining their own talent. Matt Milano, in particular, was a huge priority for the Bills this offseason. Milano ended up getting a four-year deal from Buffalo.

Other Bills re-signings include offensive linemen Daryl Williams and Jon Feliciano, along with wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. On defense, the Bills brought back Levi Wallace.

Buffalo did bring in a few newly acquired free agents. The prominent one being veteran Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders will help replace John Brown, who was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Buffalo also signed Mitchell Trubisky to play backup quarterback and Jacob Hollister was signed to compete for the starting tight end spot.

In the draft, the Bills heavily targeted pass rushers in an attempt to beef up their front seven. Edge rushers Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr. should have a good shot to earn some playing time in their rookie seasons.

Overall, the Bills had a quiet offseason with smart re-signings. The question, though, remains whether they did enough on the defensive side of the ball to compete with the Chiefs.

Bills training camp predictions: Position battles to watch

Perhaps the most important position battle to watch in the Bills' training camp is what happens at the edge position. More specifically, can either rookie Rousseau or Basham overtake veteran Mario Addison for the starting spot? Second-year pro A.J. Epenesa is another name to watch on edge for the Bills.

Addison only had five sacks and 11 quarterback pressure in 2020. Inserting some youth into the pass rush for the Bills may be for the best if Rousseau, Basham and Epenesa prove themselves ready.

#Bills edge Gregory Rousseau is a game-wrecker pic.twitter.com/q2bgL9IIDw

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) May 7, 2021

Another position to watch is who plays outside receiver opposite Stefon Diggs. Sanders, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie will all be competing for the spot. Sanders would seem to have the advantage, as he's proven to be an excellent wideout throughout his career. However, a rotation of the three might be something the Bills end up pursuing.

As long as Diggs is out wide and Cole Beasley is in the slot, whoever earns the third receiver role is going to get a lot of opportunities facing one-on-one coverage.

Lastly, the starting tight end battle between Dawson Knox and Jacob Hollister will be excellent to watch. Knox has been a bit underwhelming through two seasons in the NFL, and Hollister is coming off two fairly productive seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

It wouldn't be all that surprising to see Hollister take the job from Knox. At the very least, Hollister is set to take a share of Knox's snaps for the 2021 season.