By Matthew Fairburn | mfairburn@nyup.com
Orchard Park, N.Y. - AJ McCarron isn't going away quietly.
Sean McDermott insisted the Buffalo Bills will have an open quarterback competition, and McCarron is taking every opportunity he gets to inch his way toward securing the job.
At the Bills' sixth OTA practice on Thursday, McCarron took all of the first-team reps, while Nathan Peterman worked with the second-team offense and Josh Allen once again was running the third team. McCarron didn't disappoint, either.
No, his highs aren't quite as high as Josh Allen's, but his lows aren't as low, either. That showed up on Thursday when the Bills had their second open practice of the spring. Here's a blow-by-blow account of what we saw in chronological order from when practice started at 11 a.m.
11:07: The soundtrack
The Bills did some stretching to a few classic hip hop tracks. First was "Hip Ho Hooray" by Naughty by Nature. Next came "Snap Yo Fingers" by Lil Jon and "Get Back" by Ludacris. If that doesn't set the tone for few hours of football in shorts, I don't know what does.
Rich Barnes
11:25: Red-zone work
The Bills jumped right into some 11-on-11 red-zone work after a bit of individual drills. The highlight of the session was Nathan Peterman finding Brandon Reilly in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Reilly has mostly been stuck with the second team in practices open to the media, but he's flashing the same potential he showed last summer when he became a camp darling. This was the start of a decent day for Peterman. More on him later.
11:30: The offensive line
The offensive line looked much like it did a week ago. Left to right, the Bills had Dion Dawkins, Vlad Ducasse, Russell Bodine, John Miller and Jordan Mills. Rookie Wyatt Teller did get a rep when Ducasse committed a false start. Ryan Groy was the second-team center, while Conor McDermott got a look at left tackle with the second team and Marshall Newhouse got reps at guard. The Bills have said there will be some shuffling along the line, but so far, it's been steady.
Jeffrey T. Barnes
11:39: Special teams
During the special teams portion of Bills practice, quite a few players were involved in returning punts. Ray-Ray McCloud, Austin Proehl, Kaelin Clay and Jeremy Kerley are all getting a crack at the gig. All of those receivers will be battling for roster spots this summer, and being able to return kicks could be the easiest path to the 53.
11:43: Kyle Williams quarterbacking the d-line
There was a small moment in practice that once again showed just how much Kyle Williams love this game. It's May 31. Williams turns 35 in a few weeks. Yet, there he was acting as a coach during a defensive line drill. It was just a simple drill with the defensive line going through different call and stunts they like to use. Williams was the one clearing up any questions people had and barking out different signals with enthusiasm. He was lending some extra help to Shaw Lawson on a few occasions.
11:47: The wide receiver battle
With Zay Jones sidelined by a knee injury, there is plenty of competition for reps at wide receiver behind Kelvin Benjamin. In the first run through 11-on-11, McCarron was throwing to Malachi Dupre, Rod Streater and Jeremy Kerley. Andre Holmes also got a shot with that group.
11:56: Attendance
This seems like a good time to take tabs on attendance. Logan Thomas was not practicing and will miss the rest of the spring after having knee surgery that he called minor. Other than Thomas, Tenny Palepoi was the only player missing from practice.
12:12: Brandon Reilly vs. Malachi Dupre
The Bills had another session of 11-on-11, and two second-year receivers stood out. First, Brandon Reilly made a pair of catches from Nathan Peterman. Then, later in the drill, McCarron delivered a strike to Malachi Dupre, who was lined up in the slot. Both receivers spent most of last season stuck on the practice squad but could have a chance to crack the 53 with strong summers.
Jeffrey T. Barnes
12:31: McCarron's two-minute drill
Each quarterback got a chance to run a two-minute drill on Thursday. McCarron was first up. His drive didn't end in a touchdown, but he did complete 6-of-8 passes and got the offense down to the opposing 20-yard line. He had an impressive 20-yard sideline throw to Andre Holmes and found Rod Streater for another first down. His drive ended with a throw out of the end zone after getting pressured by Jerry Hughes. For the day, McCarron was 15-for-19 passing by our count and seemed in command of the offense for much of the afternoon.
12:37: Peterman's two-minute drill
Nathan Peterman also failed to score a touchdown during the two-minute drill, but he did complete four of his five passes. His final throw was to Khari Lee in the end zone, but Jordan Poyer jumped in to break it up. All in all, Peterman was 13-for-15 passing by our count.
12:42: Josh Allen's two-minute drill
Josh Allen needed two cracks at the two-minute drill. Working with the third-team offense, Allen threw an interception early on in his first drive. Breon Borders jumped in front of a deep Allen pass over the middle and camp down with the interception. Allen bounced back in his second try, though, tossing a touchdown to undrafted rookie Cam Phillips. He had only two incomplete passes on the second drive and one was a drop by Austin Proehl. He finished the day 12-of-18 passing by our count with the interception and the touchdown. Once again, Allen had both good and bad moments in practice but was able to end things on a high note.
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