The Buffalo Bills concluded their 2024 mandatory minicamp last week, putting a proverbial bow on their spring workouts at One Bills Drive. The practices, though not necessarily paramount in ultimate roster construction, provided an opportunity for overlooked players to place themselves on higher ground entering next month’s training camp, better positioning themselves for a run at the 53-man unit throughout the summer.
Minicamp, given its padless nature, is more so structured for offensive skill position players and defensive backs to shine, and this was the case throughout Buffalo’s three-day extravaganza. With that in mind, here are four Bills who shined at minicamp and, thus, improved their stock moving forward.
Perhaps no Bill is a bigger ‘question mark’ entering the 2024 NFL season than cornerback Kaiir Elam. Just two years removed from being the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, many have already written the defensive back off as a bust; he’s appeared in just 16 regular season games throughout his professional career, even serving as a healthy scratch throughout portions of his sophom*ore campaign. He’s come up with a few timely interceptions throughout his career, but he’s also failed to earn the unabated trust of Buffalo’s coaching staff given his aggression and penchant for taking untimely penalties.
He’s been penciled behind Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford on the depth chart throughout the offseason, with some questioning whether the team should make a move for a more reliable depth boundary cornerback. Elam quelled some concerns with a strong minicamp, looking generally strong as he came down with interceptions on day one and day two. It was an inspiring start that betters Buffalo’s overall cornerback situation, as having a playable option behind Douglas and Benford will allow the fanbase to exhale a bit. He’ll look to build on his strong minicamp next month at St. John Fisher University.
"It was great to see me making plays and be a great teammate,"Elam said of his minicamp breakout."Now, they know that they can count on me and just be there when they need me to. I really believe that I can really take away the ball at a high level."
Related: 2024 Bills 53-man roster projection: Post-minicamp edition
WR Keon Coleman
It’s easy to place rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman under a microscope and hyperanalyze each word uttered by or about him, but generally speaking, the 21-year-old had a strong minicamp. General manager Brandon Beane pumped the brakes on his hype train a bit, telling reporters that the former Florida State Seminole needs to be “involved in all phases of our offense” while heavily implying that he wished to see more from him as a blocker, but as a receiver, he shined, making a number of highlight reel catches throughout the three-day event.
The rookie made his “most impressive grab of the spring” on Wednesday, per reporter Alex Brasky, coming down with a jump ball over corner Rasul Douglas. He made another impressive grab in the endzone at Thursday’s practice, putting an exclamation point on what has been an overall strong start for the rookie. Minicamp served as an expected start for Coleman, who was generally viewed as a high-ceiling, but raw prospect throughout the predraft process—there are intricacies that he needs to improve on, but his athleticism will allow him to make some splash plays in the interim. He’ll look to again stack days at next month’s training camp, where he’ll have the opportunity to cement himself as the Bills’ X wide receiver.
Related: Replacing Stefon Diggs with Keon Coleman dubbed Bills' 'best offseason move'
A name that’s gone entirely overlooked in Buffalo’s revamped receiving corps is Bryan Thompson, a second-year wideout who spent the 2023 season on the Bills’ practice squad. The former Arizona State pass-catcher had flashed a few times throughout voluntary OTAs, building on this with a strong minicamp that culminated with an impressive touchdown grab on Wednesday afternoon.
At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Thompson lined up almost exclusively on the boundary throughout his collegiate career, tallying 71 receptions for 1,263 yards and four touchdowns over parts of six seasons. He’s a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type receiver who has solid size, speed, route-running ability, and hands, but there’s nothing about his game that truly makes him exceptional. He’s a longshot to make Buffalo’s 53-man roster, but he has spent a year in its system; the idea of him carving out a spot in a new-look Bills’ receiving corps isn’t necessarily egregious.
Related: Bills release 2024 training camp schedule, ticket information
CB Te'Cory Couch
Undrafted free agent cornerback Te’Cory Couch reportedly made the flashiest play of Tuesday’s practice, coming down with an impressive interception on third-string quarterback Shane Buechele to vault himself to the front of the Bills’ coaching staff’s collective mind.
A longtime contributor for the Miami Hurricanes, Couch notched 156 tackles, 21 pass deflections, and four interceptions throughout his collegiate career. He started on the boundary in Miami before transitioning to the slot in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with the vast majority of his snaps over the past two campaigns coming as a nickel. Given his size (5-foot-10, 175 pounds), he likely best projects as a nickel in the NFL, but his versatility and demonstrated penchant for making splash plays could make him an interesting candidate for the bottom of a Buffalo cornerback room that could use depth.
