Offense in search of tight end upgrade
This is the first of three stories previewing Buffalo Bills training camp, which opens Friday at St. John Fisher College
The most uncertain position on the Buffalo Bills’ offense heading into training camp is tight end.
Where do the Bills stand at tight end? Even the team’s coaches are eager to discover the answer.
“To me, that’s probably the most vital position offensively that we have to find out about in training camp,” said Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. “It’s all wide open right now.”
We know where the Bills stood last year at tight end: near the back of the pack.
Starter Robert Royal finished with 25 catches for 248 yards. That was the fifth-fewest catches in the NFL for a starting tight end. The Bills got another 25 catches from Michael Gaines, but he’s gone to Detroit. Overall, the Bills’ 56 catches from the tight-end spot ranked 20th best in the league. The year before, the Bills had a measly 31 catches from tight ends.
The idea that the Bills suddenly will become great at tight end in 2008 is wishful thinking. Somehow, however, they need to be better.
Royal sat out all the team’s spring practices while rehabilitating from offseason knee surgery. His knee was hurting by midseason last year, but with the Bills already decimated at the position (Kevin Everett and Derek Schouman were out), he dragged himself onto the field for 16 games.
Royal has had plausible explanations for low reception totals the past two years. In 2006, the team’s pass protection was so shaky, the tight ends needed to stay in to block. In 2007, it was the injury.
Can he do better? “Other than Robert, nobody has really played,” Schonert said. “That’s something we have to find out –who can play and what they can do and then put them in those positions. Hopefully Robert comes back 100 percent. If Robert doesn’t come back 100 percent, there’s another twist to it.”
Competing behind Royal are: second- year man Schouman, a seventh-round pick last year; fifth-year man Courtney Anderson, a former seventh- round pick of the Raiders; rookie fourth-round pick Derek Fine; and third-year man Tim Massaquoi, another former seventh-round pick who spent half of last season on the Bills’ roster.
In Royal’s absence, Schouman got most of the first-team snaps this spring. He looked much improved from his rookie year. But Anderson also worked with the starters during minicamp. Schouman is 6-foot-2, 223 pounds; Anderson is 6-6, 270.
Anderson, who started 28 games in Oakland over three years, looks better equipped to be a full-service tight end, blocking and catching. Schouman or Fine may be better on the move, split out in the slot in a pass-catching role. Fine, 6-3 and 247, might have the most ability.
“In OTAs, his head was spinning like every rookie,” Schonert said. “When you throw that much at them that quickly, that’s normal. Hopefully, it will settle down for him. But he’s got ability, and we’re counting on him. We can’t overload him so that he’s thinking all the time and not reacting and playing.”
Among the other offensive position battles to watch in training camp are:
• No. 2 receiver: The Bills drafted James Hardy in the second round to start opposite Lee Evans. There’s no question he will get on the field immediately. However, can he grasp the offense quickly enough to get the majority of the snaps opposite Evans to start the season? If not, Josh Reed will have to pick up more of the slack.
• Backup center: Duke Preston enters his fourth year and has made little impact so far in Buffalo. The former fourth-round pick spent most of the last two seasons working at guard but now has moved back to center. He worked there with the starters all spring while first-stringer Melvin Fowler recovered from minor shoulder surgery.
Preston was not especially impressive in last year’s camp. He needs to have a good showing to make the team. Is it possible, back at his natural position, that he could push Fowler? Line coach Sean Kugler left the door open.
“Duke did a really nice job at center this spring,” Kugler said. “He’s going to battle for that position. He’s going to go in with that mentality. Duke also plays all interior positions, so he’s invaluable in there. . . . But he’s going to be focused at center. Duke’s always been a hard worker. He’s real professional.”
Veteran Jason Whittle and Preston are the favorites to be the interior- line backups. The top three backup tackles entering camp are Kirk Chambers, Matt Murphy and Patrick Estes.
• No. 5 receiver: One or two unheralded guys are going to make the team behind Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and James Hardy. Fighting for the No. 5 wideout job (held last year by Sam Aiken) are: Justin Jenkins, Steve Johnson, Scott Mayle, Felton Huggins and Jason Jones. Jenkins spent 11 games on the 53-man roster last year and did some good things on special teams. Johnson is a seventh-round pick with the best size of the bunch.
“All those young guys have gotten better,” Schonert said. “I like the way those guys have improved. That’s going to be an interesting battle. The other thing is we have to get Hardy up to speed and learn the system. I have to find out what he does well, what he doesn’t do well and call the things that he knows.”
• No. 3 running back: Fred Jackson has established himself as No. 2 behind Marshawn Lynch. Schonert said that Reed, Lynch and Jackson were the most impressive offensive players in the spring. Rookie sixth-round pick Xavier Omon will battle last year’s fourth-round pick, Dwayne Wright, for No. 3.
“There’s competition there between Dwayne and the two young guys,” said Schonert, referring to Omon and rookie Bruce Hall. “Dwayne has to elevate his game if he wants to stay in this league. He’s got talent. He did some good things in the spring, and I was encouraged by it. But he’s got to keep going forward.” Monday: The defense
