Keon Coleman's Rough Start, DJ Moore's Debut, Takeaways from Bills Training Camp Day 1

Keon Coleman got off to a rough start on a rainy Day 1 of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University, dropping the very first pass attempted by Josh Allen during team drills.

The drop came during 7 on 7, with Coleman lining up wide and failing to haul in a pass after running a short route that ended with him on the painted yard marker near the left sideline. To his credit, Coleman immediately responded with a catch on his very next rep, with Allen going back to him on the opposite side of the formation for a nice connection.

Coleman has dealt with widespread criticism throughout the offseason due to disciplinary issues he experienced a year ago and his detractors were out in full force after the 23-year-old came up empty to begin the team’s first practice of the preseason.

First pass of 7 on 7 to start Bills training camp and Keon Coleman drops it

Can’t make it up pic.twitter.com/OqiHdTTj3e
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) July 29, 2026

But despite his rocky start to training camp, Bills general manager Brandon Beane continued to back the embattled wide receiver while speaking with the media after practice concluded.

“You feel a guy who’s really matured, like the light has come on,” said Beane. “He understands some of the things he could have done better along the way.”

He added, “I’m very proud of where Keon is. He could’ve taken the negativity from the press conference thing, the season, the benchings, whatever has happened to him, he has had the most positive outlook on things.”

That’s all well and good, but the Bills are looking for consistency out of Coleman in a make-or-break season and he did not display that to begin camp.

Bills new WR DJ Moore has hot and cold day with Josh Allen

17 ➡️ 2. pic.twitter.com/WhprdcCE4C
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) July 29, 2026

DJ Moore also endured a few rough patches during Wednesday’s practice, as his connection with Josh Allen isn’t at its peak quite yet. But that’s to be expected.

During quarterback/wide receiver drills, without a defender lined up across from him, Moore ran an out route to the right sideline, but after he broke off his route, Allen fired a pass behind him and Moore was unable to make the play. Later, in the early portion of 7 on 7 work, Allen again fired behind Moore, with another pass falling incomplete.

It wasn’t all bad for Moore, though, as he also came up with a nice grab while going to the ground during QB/WR drills and then later secured a sliding catch near the sideline as the team began 11 on 11. He was also used on a WR reverse, taking a handoff from Allen and running off the left side for a modest gain, which hints at how first-year head coach Joe Brady plans to use his new weapon this year.

All in all, it was a productive day for Moore, who is entering his first season in Buffalo with sky-high expectations.

Josh Allen looked rusty during first day of Bills camp

Josh Allen has already missed DJ Moore twice to begin Bills training camp, once during QB/WR drills and once during 7 on 7. Threw behind him both times

Moore mixed in a really nice sliding catch during drills with no defense pic.twitter.com/V9hlaL1r5x
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) July 29, 2026

It’s the first day of camp, so there is no reason to panic quite yet. But it was clear throughout the morning session that Allen was rusty during his first live action since the Bills’ offseason workout program concluded on June 11.

As mentioned previously, Allen missed Moore a couple of times and was off-target on several other throws throughout the practice, including missing Dalton Kincaid on a high throw during 11 on 11. Whether it was a product of working in a few new targets and a lack of rapport with those new faces or otherwise, the Bills’ former MVP was not anywhere near his best on Day 1.

Bills positional battles brewing

Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

While he didn’t participate in team drills, Terrel Bernard was on the field with the Bills’ first-team defense during walk-through. Beside him was Dorian Williams, who sustained an offseason injury that led to him missing the offseason workout program.

It’s a good sign for Williams, as it was unclear if he would be ready to start camp, while it’s also an indicator of how the Bills plan to go about the competition for the team’s other starting role at linebacker. Kaleb Elarms-Orr was with the second-team defense, so it appears, at least after Day 1, that Williams will have the first crack at earning the job.

Elsewhere with the starters, Maxwell Hairston was opposite Christian Benford at cornerback as he is expected to compete with rookie second-round pick Davison Igbinosun for the CB2 role. Another note on the cornerback position from Wednesday’s practice: reserve Kani Walker made a nice pass breakup on a deep ball from Kyle Allen intended for Mecole Hardman Jr. deep down the left sideline. Walker, an undrafted free agent, is fighting for a roster spot at a position that lacks adequate depth.

At left guard, Alec Anderson was with the starting offense as he hopes to fend off free-agent addition Austin Corbett for a first-team role. It was difficult to gauge Anderson’s performance on Day 1, as the pads have yet to come on at Bills camp.

Mitch Wishnowsky was the first punter to take reps on Wednesday, while Keon Coleman was given an opportunity to take the reins as the team’s punt returner. It was notable that Khalil Shakir, the team’s top punt returner from a season ago, was not back with the other returners as they took reps. Hardman Jr. was the second man up, while Mac Dalena and Max Tomczak were also in the mix.

A positional battle not many are discussing at this point is the fight to become Buffalo’s practice-squad running back. While James Cook, who had a big run up the middle during Wednesday’s practice, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis are locked in as the team’s top trio, Frank Gore Jr. and free-agent add Ian Wheeler are competing to be the team’s fourth option at the position.

Gore Jr. got off to an undesirable start with a fumble on Day 1, while Wheeler made a reception in the flat on a pass thrown from Shane Buechele. This will be an interesting back and forth to follow throughout the remainder of the preseason.

As far as the backup quarterback competition is concerned, neither Buechele nor Kyle Allen took a significant step toward solidifying their spot. We will have to continue to watch how these two perform as camp continues.

A few injury updates on key Bills players

Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht (55) makes a catch during Minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first day of training camp began with Brady confirming that wide receiver Tyrell Shavers had been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform [PUP] list due to a torn ACL sustained during the team’s wild-card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. However, with that announcement came some good news, as pass rusher Michael Hoecht, who was lost for the year a season ago due to a torn Achilles, was available for practice and appeared to participate in team drills.

After the session concluded, Beane said that he believes Hoecht will be ready to suit up for Week 1 of the regular season against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Sept. 13.

There was one player who was absent from Wednesday’s practice, wide receiver Jalen Virgil, as he did not pass his physical on Tuesday, according to the Bills.

Joe Brady’s first practice as head coach

Finally, we get to one of the top storylines entering Bills camp: the introduction of Brady as the team’s head coach during a practice setting. At first glance, aside from the start of practice being bumped up an hour to 8:30 a.m., there wasn’t much different from what we’ve experienced with former head coach Sean McDermott over the years.

One distinct change was the Bills spent less time going through team drillls than they had in previous years. Whether that is a product of it being the first day of training camp, we don't know. But it was interesting to note that the Bills appeared to take it a bit easier throughout a shorter session in their first camp practice under Brady as opposed to what we saw under McDermott in past seasons. That could also be due to a new outlook on load management, as Buffalo has been oft-injured the past couple of seasons and they may be looking to scale back full-contact periods under this new regime.

Another difference in Brady's approach was that the Bills’ offensive players wore blue practice jerseys throughout the session, while the defense wore white. Each side of the ball had worn the opposite color in previous seasons. I'm not sure why.

The Bills will return to St. John Fisher University for the second day of training camp on Thursday. Practice is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

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