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[Buffalo Bills]

Bills sign former Panther first-round pick who played for Sean McDermott

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

The former first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers is coming of an Achilles injury.

The Buffalo Bills have signed another former Carolina Panthers defender who played for head coach Sean McDermott when he was the defensive coordinator in Charlotte. This one is a former first-round pick, to boot, as the Bills have signed linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Thompson recently turned 31 and as with a lot of players as they age, he’s recently dealt with a ton of injuries. In 2024, he played in four games before suffering a torn Achilles. In 2023, he broke his fibula in the second week of the season and missed the rest of the year. He did play 14 or more games in every previous NFL season.

The move comes as the Bills open mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and puts the team at the maximum of 91 players on the active roster.

Thompson was a first-round pick in 2015 and spent his entire career with the Panthers, first under Ron Rivera (with McDermott as DC), then Matt Rhule, Frank Reich, and Dave Canales. He was a rookie the year the team lost the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos.

His list of accomplishments is very long. He is one of eight NFL players with four straight 100+ tackle seasons in his career.

Which Buffalo Bills players could the Shaq Thompson signing impact?​

The move could be a direct replacement option for LB Baylon Spector, who has struggled in the lineup in his limited action. The Bills didn’t add a linebacker this offseason, which I thought was odd, but this seems to address that depth piece.

With Matt Milano aging and fighting off injuries, the Bills only had Dorian Williams as solid depth last year. So when Terrel Bernard was also sidelined, it caught up to the Bills quickly.

Especially as the Bills may be looking to add beef more often with three linebackers instead of playing a base nickel, adding a linebacker who can give impactful snaps is desireably.

More to come...

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...ign-lb-shaq-thompson-former-carolina-panthers

 

[Buffalo Bills]

Bills Mafia remain clear about Buffalo’s receiving and D-line concerns

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

WR or TE? DT or DE/EDGE? Which positions remain the biggest question marks on offense and defense weeks before training camp begins?

We asked, and you answered, Rumblers! Last week in a continued partnership with FanDuel Sportsbook, we wanted to know what you believe to be the Buffalo Bills’ biggest question marks regarding the passing game and along the defensive line. Though there may be other positions of concern, these buckets represent a huge chunk of the pie still missing from the oven.

Did the Bills boast an incredible league-leading scoring offense in 2024? Absolutely (hello, Josh Allen, James Cook, and Tyler Bass). But did the passing game look like a work in progress too often at times? That may trend believable given the way general manager Brandon Beane chose to once again overhaul the receiving game during the 2025 offseason.

To say there have been growing pains since losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis might be an understatement. Yet why, when it seemed clear to everyone that 12 personnel (2TE sets) was going to be all the rage with offensive coordinator Joe Brady? Obviously, Bills Mafia knows how things went with the tight end room last season, and it should have most fans confused about the coming campaign. The same is likely true of the wide receivers outside of Khalil Shakir.

But which position among the two is Buffalo’s biggest question mark heading into training camp in late July? Based on Reacts votes, wide receiver is the biggest unknown, with 71% of voters voting that way, while just 29% see it tight end as the biggest question mark on offense. It’s true that the depth chart remains largely unchanged at tight end, but does the position truly feel settled? Are you ready to put all your chips in on the outcome of this survey?

What about the defensive line? What did voters see as the Bills’ biggest question mark between defensive end / edge rusher and defensive tackle? Is it a surprise the majority of voters (62%) said defensive tackle is the biggest unknown heading into the season? Just 38% of votes went to the edge of the defensive line.

What is true is that all parties along Buffalo’s d-line need to prove capable of showing up during the biggest moments of a game, the highest-stakes points of a season. Until that happens, it’s likely the Bills continue exiting the playoffs earlier than most believe is befitting of a team led by Josh Allen.

Get in the game this season with FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of Buffalo Rumblings and SB Nation!

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...ng-and-d-line-concerns-clear-with-bills-mafia

 

[Buffalo Bills]

Bills rookie CB Maxwell Hairston injured during mandatory minicamp on Wednesday

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

No, the sky isn’t falling — but injuries are popping up at One Bills Drive.

Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston was reportedly injured late during Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp session, per Alex Brasky. Hairston had to leave the field after suffering a lower body injury during team drills.

Brasky reported that Hairston was seen being worked on by athletic trainers, and “appeared to be testing the function and strength of his left knee area.” In the video below shared by Brasky, you can see Hairston talking with trainers and pointing to his lower leg.

Based on the area they’re motioning to, could be popliteal muscle issue or medial calf strain.

Potential for distal hamstring as well.

Don’t see concern for Achilles & walking pattern supports that coming off. https://t.co/wrlYsRRc08

— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) June 11, 2025​

As noted by Dr. Kyle Trimble of Banged Up Bills fame (and Buffalo Rumblings alumnus) in response to Brasky’s tweet:

“Based on the area they’re motioning to, could be popliteal muscle issue or medial calf strain. Potential for distal hamstring as well. Don’t see concern for Achilles & walking pattern supports that coming off.”

While this news is less than ideal, it is early in the process — summer hasn’t even officially started yet and the depth chart isn’t set for many positions. We’re still so early in the process that our photo databases don’t even have photos of Hairston in Bills gear or on the field.

However, we saw what missing time early and often meant for safety Cole Bishop as his rookie season was just underway. Hopefully this is a minor setback for Hairston and he doesn’t have to miss much time moving forward.

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...njured-during-mandatory-minicamp-on-wednesday

 

[Buffalo Bills]

Bills UDFA DE Paris Shand brings massive potential, faces steep climb to final roster

Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images

Long and strong, Shand looks like a player the Bills would have rostered along the edge early in head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure

The Buffalo Bills have shifted the style of defensive end they deploy throughout head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure. Whereas they used to feature long, edge-setting types who could contain the quarterback, they now have begun to prioritize lighter, bendier players who have the agility and the pass-rush acumen to make plays on their own.

It’s a shift in philosophy that, frankly, is borne out of necessity, as the Bills have remained unable to generate consistent pressure on the best teams in the league with just their defensive front four. Each offseason, the Bills invest heavily in their defensive front in hopes that this is the group to stop the NFL’s high-powered passing offenses and elite quarterbacks.

In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss an undrafted rookie along the defensive line who profiles more along the lines of a 2017-2019 Bills’ edge prototype.

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Name: Paris Shand

Number: 59

Position: DE

Height/Weight: 6’4”, 268 pounds

Age: 24 (25 on 5/7/2026)

Experience/Draft: R; signed with Buffalo following the 2025 NFL Draft

College: LSU

Acquired: UDFA signing

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Shand signed a three-year deal worth a total of $2.99 million. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $848,333 if he makes the 53-man roster. If he’s released, the Bills will be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $25,000, which is the total sum of the guarantees on the deal.

2024 Recap: Shand started nine games at defensive end for the Tigers, and he had his most productive NCAA season as a result. He totaled 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks, adding one pass knockdown, as well. He showed solid athleticism at LSU’s Pro Day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, leaping 33.5” in the vertical jump and 9’7” in the broad jump, and pumping out 17 reps of the 225-pound bench press.

Positional outlook: The Bills have eight defensive ends, including Shand, on the 90-man roster. Landon Jackson, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, Javon Solomon, and Hayden Harris are the others.

2025 Offseason: Shand has attended all offseason workouts to date.

2025 Season outlook: Shand is a throwback style of defensive end for the Bills, as he profiles more like an edge-setter a la Shaq Lawson than he does a bendy pass-rusher like the team has featured of late. With an 81.25” wingspan, he’s definitely a longer player who, with the right technique, could give opposing offensive linemen problems when trying to set the edge.

There’s a small chance that Shand can show enough this summer to make the 53-man roster out of camp if someone ahead of him on the depth chart is injured. Given that Hoecht is suspended for the first six games thanks to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, the Bills are already down one of their presumed edge rushers. Bosa is dealing with an injury and has been a risk in that department over the last few seasons, as well.

Even with those question marks, though, you’d have to assume that Epenesa, Rousseau, and Jackson are all well ahead of Shand, and last year’s fifth-round draft choice, Javon Solomon, showed promise and should be ready for a leap this year, as well. That’s at least six players ahead of Shand here in June.

Shand is likely fighting for a spot on the practice squad or auditioning for other clubs this preseason.

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...-defensive-end-paris-shand-2025-nfl-offseason

 

[Buffalo Bills]

What grade would you give the Buffalo Bills’ offseason, so far?

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

We’re still only partway through minicamp, but plenty has already happened at One Bills Drive for us to reflect on the dozens of moves made.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Buffalo Bills fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Coming off a season where the Buffalo Bills won the AFC East a franchise-record fifth consecutive time and advanced to the AFC Championship, it’s reasonable to see the 2024 NFL season as a success overall. At season’s end quarterback Josh Allen was crowned the Associated Press NFL MVP as the “head of the spear” for Buffalo’s league-leading scoring offense last season.

Falling one game short of the Super Bowl tends to leave a few deep marks within NFL organizations, and general manager Brandon Beane made it a point to hit the ground running this past March in hopes of improving the roster. A year removed from the devastating cap hit created by parting ways with wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Beane and One Bills Drive had more funds to sign their own players to new deals and pursue free agents this spring.

It’s been a busy offseason with much to reflect on regarding this week’s Reacts question for Rumblers: How would you rate the Buffalo Bills’ offseason so far?

Need a refresher?

• From the Bills’ work in free agency;
• to Buffalo’s nine 2025 NFL Draft selections;
• Undrafted Free-Agent signings;
• and signing cornerstone in-house players to new multi-year deals...

... there’s been plenty to applaud, but all hasn’t gone perfectly as planned this offseason. Consider the free-agent signings of defensive lineman Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi — both of whom produced failed tests for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and will each miss the first six weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

There’s also the situation with running back James Cook, who’s in the last year of his rookie deal and looking for a new contract before this one expires. Cook watched four teammates receive new lucrative deals (Khalil Shakir, Christian Benford, Greg Rousseau, and Terrel Bernard), plus Josh Allen’s new multi-year deal — yet didn’t see the same benefit despite putting up a second-consecutive season over 1,000-plus rushing yards while setting a new franchise rushing touchdown mark with 16 TDs on the ground.

After missing voluntary work early, Cook did finally show up this week for mandatory minicamp, and has stated his intention to be at training camp later this summer. But it’s anyone’s guess at this point if the contract situation will boil over into the regular season to become an in-season distraction.

So, what say you, Rumblers: How would you grade the Buffalo Bills’ offseason so far?

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...grade-would-you-give-buffalo-offseason-so-far

 

[Buffalo Bills]

Bills trivia: Your in-5 daily game, Friday edition

Can you name this Buffalo Bills player in five clues or less?

Hey Bills fans! We’re back for another day of the Buffalo Rumblings in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

If you can’t see the embedded game and you’re using Apple News, click this link.

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Thursday, June 12, 2025
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Tuesday, June 10, 2025

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Buffalo Rumblings in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Bills player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2025/6/13/24448480/sb-nation-bills-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Buffalo Bills]

Chime in: Which Buffalo Bills are under the most pressure in 2025?

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Sean McDermott is most certainly on the list. Which Buffalo Bills are under the most pressure in 2025?

The most recent version of the Buffalo Bills have checked off almost every box they can check outside of the really big one. Entering 2025, they have a league MVP, an Executive of the Year, plenty of Pro Bowlers and a stacked roster from top to bottom. There are always question marks, though, so as we enter the deeper part of the 2025 offseason, it’s time to look at some of those potential answers.

Which Buffalo Bills are under the most pressure to perform in 2025? There are a lot of factors that go into that, so let’s look at some candidates.

Head to the comments to share your thoughts. Sign up for your own account here to leave a comment.

Head coach Sean McDermott (and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich)​

Where have the Bills fallen short in the biggest moments? Coaching. Boneheaded mistakes in big moments like 13 seconds are one thing, but allowing the Chiefs to score their highest point total of the season two weeks before getting absolutely rocked by the Eagles is another. McD and his hand-picked protege Bobby Babich need to step up, especially in the playoffs, and especially against the Chiefs. This ain’t news.

Running back James Cook and center Connor McGovern​

I am lumping them together because their success not only impacts the team, but both are in the last year of their contracts. They are playing for big money in addition to big expectations. I don’t know if those deals will be in Buffalo or elsewhere, but these Pro Bowlers will want top dollar or else they would have signed by now. They could both play their ways into contracts near the top of the market in 2025. A.J. Epenesa isn’t a former Pro Bowl player, but he’s played a lot of snaps over the last few years and is also looking for a new deal.

Wide receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid​

Two Bills pass-catchers that underperformed admittedly lofty expectations in 2024, both Coleman and Kincaid could be looking down the barrel of being replaced on the roster if they don’t take a step forward in 2025. Both were dealing with nagging injuries last season, but could make huge impacts this season — or they could be replaced next offseason.

Special teams coach Chris Tabor​

The NFL has tweaked their kickoff rules, which means more innovation is likely to enter the chat. Can Tabor make the change after giving up the first dynamic kickoff return touchdown in NFL history in 2024? Oh yeah, Quintin Morris (73% of ST snaps in 2024), Nicholas Morrow (41%), Casey Toohill (30%) , Mack Hollins (22%), Kaiir Elam (15%) are all gone and Baylon Spector (35%) and Cam Lewis (57%) aren’t roster locks. Such is the life of a special teams coordinator.

Defensive end Greg Rousseau​

Show up in the biggest moments. Von Miller was a ghost against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, playing just 16 snaps with one assisted tackle to show for it. Ed Oliver balled out in that game, notching two QB hits and a fumble recovery. After signing a big contract this offseason, it’s Groot’s turn to take the next step like Spencer Brown did a year ago after signing his extension.

Safety Cole Bishop​

Bishop missed a big chunk of his rookie offseason with an injury, but he looks poised to enter the starting lineup in his sophomore season. Like Coleman, if he has a subpar season, the Bills will be looking to replace him as soon as next offseason.

DT DeWayne Carter​

The Bills kinda went out of their way to replace DeWayne Carter this offseason, eh? A few free agents, a couple draft picks, and all of the sudden we’re talking about how versatile Carter is just to justify his roster spot one year after his pick in the third round.

Kicker Tyler Bass​

Bass seemed to rebound from his yips during the 2024 season and the Bills didn’t bring in any competition this offseason. He is the locked in kicker and his salary is guaranteed, but the way his contract works, Bass will be very easy to move on from in 2026. Buffalo will definitely pay him $4 million in 2026 with a good season, but if he’s shaky?

Left tackle Dion Dawkins (and RT Spencer Brown)​

First of all, keeping Josh Allen upright is job 1A. This offseason, Dawkins lobbied the NFL to install a new Protector of the Year Award and they obliged. If he comes out and face-plants in the first year the award exists, that’s not a good look especially when he just signed a nice new deal a year ago. But seriously, keep Josh Allen healthy for real.

Quarterback Josh Allen​

If you know ball, you know Josh Allen isn’t the reason the Bills haven’t gone to the Super Bowl and won the whole damn thing. But. When it’s time for the call to Canton, I don’t want Allen to go in as the best QB to never play in a Super Bowl. So it’s not fair to him, but he needs to keep wearing the cape, even with the MVP award and the awesome wife and the huge contract.

Guys I didn’t include on my list and why​

General manager Brandon Beane​

I don’t think Beane is on the hot seat with ownership or the fan base right now. And he shouldn’t be.

Wide receiver Khalil Shakir​

As long as they keep saying everybody eats, he doesn’t need to be THE GUY.

Wide receivers Curtis Samuel, Josh Palmer, and Elijah Moore​

The Bills have brought in a bunch of receivers, so any one of them doesn’t really have pressure on them. As long as everybody eats, individual receivers can go week to week.

Cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston, Tre’Davious White, and Dane Jackson​

Individually, they all have a fair amount of pressure this offseason. But in the same way the receivers have coverage if they falter, the multitude of options here make it not as worrisome, I think.

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Head to the comments to share your thoughts. Sign up for your own account here to leave a comment.

Welcome to the weekend, Buffalo Bills fans. After a long week, it’s time to blow off a little steam. Use this thread to talk about... well, whatever it is you’d like to talk about. Maybe you’d like to share a cool story from your week.

Source: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...st-pressure-in-2025-sean-mcdermott-josh-allen