Key Takeaways From Bills HC Joe Brady's Minicamp Press Conference

Joe Brady spoke with the media during the first day of Bills minicamp, and there was a lot to take away from the session.

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady answers questions during practice press conference. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Tuesday was the first day of mandatory minicamp for the Buffalo Bills, who had perfect attendance.

These practices don't always give us a ton of information with players in shorts and no pads, but it can be invaluable, especially for a team that has a rookie head coach. That's the case for the Bills, who are kicking off the Joe Brady era.

Brady, who has been with Buffalo since 2022, first as the quarterbacks coach and then as offensive coordinator, took some time on Tuesday to meet with the media and give several updates. Here's a look at the main takeaways from his first presser of minicamp.

Battle at left guard will take off during training camp

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Alec Anderson practices before the game at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Bills need to figure out who will start at left guard, with Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett facing off for the job. Brady didn't want to say minicamp was unimportant, saying technique and communication will be on display. That said, he admitted the battle for the job will really begin when the pads come on during training camp.

Corbett has the advantage when it comes to experience, even starting for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 when they won the Super Bowl. Anderson, however, has the rapport with the team, which could help him lock up the job.

Dorian Williams dealing with undisclosed injury

Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams walks the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Linebacker Dorian Williams has a chance to carve out a big role in 2026 with Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson not on the roster. He didn't get off to a quick start though, with Brady saying Williams was injured, although he didn't go into details. As Bills On SI writer Alex Brasky said, Williams was injured during the postseason, but Brady didn't confirm if this was related.

The head coach did sound confident that Williams would be ready to go by training camp, which will be important for Williams as he looks to cement his status as the starter opposite Terrel Bernard.

Looking ahead to James Cook's workload in 2026

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III reacts after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

James Cook led the NFL in rushing yardage last year with 1,621 yards, but he had a career-high 342 touches in the regular season alone. That kind of wear can be problematic for a running back, but Brady isn't going to allow that to dictate how he splits up the carries. That said, he also made it clear that he would like to get Ray Davis and Ty Johnson involved more this year.

“Can't have mindset of how many carries he is going to have. He played at such a high-level last year, but I would love to have opportunities to get Ray Davis and Ty Johnson the ball,” Brady said.

It would be ideal for Buffalo to get all three running backs rolling. Not only do they offer different skill sets from Cook, but the more they do during the season, the fresher Cook will be during the playoffs.

DJ Moore looks like Carolina DJ Moore

Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Buffalo sent a second-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore, who is in line to be the team's No. 1 wide receiver this season. While this move was called "head-scratching" by critics, Brady said he was excited to get Moore.

That's understandable considering the two worked together when Brady was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021. Moore had more than 1,100 yards in each of those seasons, and Brady said that Moore is looking like the same player we saw during those days.

"Yeah, I mean like it it's interesting. You go back to like our first day throwing together and I remember Kyle Allen who was actually with DJ before before I was and he was like, 'Man, he looks the same'. I've told DJ this like I was so excited when we traded for him and I'm more excited after getting to work with him for an offseason. Like, you know, his his demeanor, his approach, his leadership," Brady said.

Earlier this offseason, I wrote about Josh Allen singing the praises of Moore, and the entire offense could open up if Moore lives up to the hype.