Bills

Last year, the Bills thrived even though they traded away WR Stefon Diggs because it allowed QB Josh Allen to focus on spreading the ball around, not worrying about getting a particular player enough targets. Bills OC Joe Brady said that’s the mindset they want to continue tapping into this year. 

“If I call this play, and it’s designed to get Khalil Shakir the ball, and they take it away? Cool.” Brady said via ESPN’s Benjamin Solak. “You progress. I’ll come back and get the ball to Khalil. Don’t feel like you have to come back.”

“He’s extremely mindful, understanding that when he plays good football, sound football — when he’s checking the ball down and progressing through — we’re tough to beat. He’s always known that, but last year, he got even more of a taste of that.”

Dolphins

Lions LB Grant Stuard made headlines when saying the Dolphins didn’t show the same intensity as Detroit in their joint practices this week. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa expressed frustration with how they operated, saying their offense struggled to create momentum or find energy. 

“Some of the frustrating things like I said were we couldn’t get ourselves jumpstarted as an offense,” Tagovailoa said, via PFT. “We couldn’t gain that momentum to where, OK, all we needed was one play and then jumpstart the offense whether it was move the ball, whether it was one of the third down team periods, another team period, red zone. It just felt like we didn’t have the energy that we’re used to when we practice and when we play against opponents, so that’s what I’m talking about when I talk about it was frustrating today.”

Patriots

The Patriots landed DE K’Lavon Chaisson to a one-year, $5 million deal as a free agent. New England OLBs coach Mike Smith praised Chaisson for his intelligence on the field and thinks he’s going into the season with “something to prove.” 

“The thing about KC is he’s smart. He’s a vet. He’s seen it. Loves the game of football. The way he works, the way he prepares,” Smith said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive. “He’s one of these guys that you talk about stuff, and he gets it pretty quick. A lot of these guys you get in free agency on 1-year deals, and they’ve got something to prove. I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and he’s got something to prove – getting a home and being somewhere is a big thing for him. He’s playing well.”

Smith compared Chaisson’s addition to New England to when the Packers signed Za’Darius Smith in 2019, when he was Green Bay’s outside linebackers coach. 

“I like finding those free agent guys – Za’Darius when he was in Baltimore. Maybe he didn’t play as much,” Smith said. “I saw that. I saw the athleticism. I saw how he plays. How physical he is. We get guys to sit – how violent we play, there’s nothing pretty about pass rush. Nothing pretty about it. Watch Max Crosby. Watch Nick Bosa. Watch Za’Darius, any of these guys. They’re violent human beings. Just building stuff off that. You can put the tape on and see how athletic he is. You can find some gold, some guys like that in free agency that can help.”