NFL  

Bills' Hamlin participates in team drills for first time this offseason

Photo: The Canadian Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — With a helmet on, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin took part in team drills on Tuesday for the first time this spring and some six months since having a near-death experience during a game.

Hamlin appeared upbeat by happily waving to the cameras pointed at him during pre-practice stretching drills. Soon after, he served as a punt protector in several special team periods.

Hamlin had previously been limited to taking part in individual drills and the stretching portions of practice over the previous two weeks of the team’s voluntary sessions. The 25-year-old has made it his objective to resume his football career after going into cardiac arrest and needing to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

The frightening collapse led to the game being eventually canceled by the NFL, and had Hamlin spending 10 days recovering and being monitored in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo. The third-year player was fully cleared to resume playing in April, and has spent much of the past two months working out at the team’s facility.

The Bills had no immediate update on Hamlin’s practice status.

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Browns defensive players robbed of jewelry, vehicle by masked men in downtown stickup

Photo: The Canadian Press

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Two Cleveland Browns defensive players were robbed at gun point by six masked men outside a downtown night club, according to police.

Police redacted the names of the players in a field case report. However, a person familiar with the situation identified the players as cornerback Greg Newsome II and tackle Perrion Winfrey. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The Browns opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

According to police, one of the players was returning to his truck in a parking lot at 3:30 a.m. Monday when the masked suspects jumped out of a car and robbed him of jewelry before fleeing in his vehicle. The player said he was not injured during the theft.

Newsome, a starting cornerback drafted by the Browns in the first round in 2021 from Northwestern, posted Monday night, "It’s a cruel world we live in” on Twitter.

Newsome was on the field Tuesday as the Browns opened their three-day minicamp, while there was no immediate sign of Winfrey, a former Oklahoma defensive tackle arrested in April on a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas.

Coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to address the situation following practice.

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Jags' Calvin Ridley sneaks in extra reps as coaches preach slow, steady approach

Photo: The Canadian Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is trying to get receiver Calvin Ridley to slowly work his way back following an 18-month absence.

Ridley has other thoughts.

The former Atlanta Falcons standout is sneaking in extra repetitions during Jacksonville’s organized team activities, a clear sign how eager he is to “get my body back to football” after missing most of the past two seasons.

“I only really know one speed,” Ridley said.

The Jaguars would prefer Ridley save full throttle for training camp, maybe even the preseason. But convincing the 28-year-old Ridley of that seems to be a tough task considering how long he was sidelined.

“I’m picking (the tempo) up a little bit, just trying to get myself those reps,” he said. “But they just want me to slowly build toward the season.

“I’ve got to gradually get my body back to football and be peaking into the season, not out here. Just got to get my body ready for the long ride.”

Ridley’s wait has been a lengthy one.

He last played an NFL game in October 2021, first stepping away to focus on his mental health and then serving a yearlong suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.

He was suspended after the league determined he bet on NFL games while away from the Falcons to deal with a home invasion he detailed in an article for The Players Tribune.

The league reinstated Ridley in March, clearing the way for him to join his new team in Jacksonville. The Jaguars gave up a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2024 to get Ridley from Atlanta at the trade deadline in November.

Ridley has spent the past three months getting to know new teammates, new coaches, new surroundings and a new playbook. He worked out with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and fellow wideouts several times before the offseason program even began.

Those working closely alongside Ridley rave about his work ethic, which was evident on one play last week. Ridley failed to get in the right position on one route, which caused him to drop a pass from Lawrence. Ridley immediately signaled for a do-over and then followed with a flawlessly executed play.

“I’ve watched him the last few years and was super excited about that aspect of him joining our team,” Lawrence said Monday. “But just to get to know him as a person and just to see his work ethic and how hungry he is to get back into play and how happy he is to be a part of our team, I think that’s been the coolest part of having him here.”

Ridley caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns despite dealing with a broken left foot in 2020. He had 31 receptions for 281 yards and two scores before sitting out the final two months of the 2021 season.

He’s essentially starting over in Jacksonville, hoping to earn a new contract and stay close to his hometown of Fort Lauderdale. He insists 1,400 yards receiving is an attainable goal despite sharing the spotlight with Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Zay Jones.

Pederson, though, just wants to get Ridley to September in one piece. And he believes the best way to do that is to slow him down now and through the rest of the summer.

“It’s exciting to see what he can do and what he can bring,” Pederson said. “But look, some of the things that I’m doing with the team drills is I’m trying to eliminate collisions. We’re slowing the pace down so he can actually get in there (and learn).

“If you notice he’s not a full speed. He’s not doing anything a 100%. It's a way to get him in there under a controlled tempo. But it’s good to see him get in there as he continues to learn and process the information, and he’s doing good.”

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Buffalo Bills break ground on new $1.54 billion stadium

Photo: The Canadian Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In preparing to break ground on the Buffalo Bills new stadium, owner Terry Pegula looked to the sky to deliver a message to his late predecessor and franchise founder, Ralph Wilson.

“Ralph, we’re moving across the street,” Pegula said to an eruption of laughter from a large gathering that included Wilson’s wife, Mary.

“And what would he say to that, Mary?” Pegula said. “And don’t start crying because you’ll get me crying.”

Using the Bills current home as a backdrop, Pegula, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday dug into a small plot of dirt across the street in breaking ground on new stadium scheduled to open by the 2026 season, and projected to cost $1.54 billion, with taxpayers picking up $850 million of the tab.

The hour-long ceremony was a celebration of the team’s future, which is essentially secured with a new stadium that comes with a 30-year lease, and also the past. It was held amid construction equipment in what served as a former stadium parking lot already being prepped as the site of the Bills’ 60,000-plus seat new home.

“I love what Terry said,” Mary Wilson told The Associated Press afterward. “Their entire leadership to make this happen, I think Buffalo, they’ve got no idea how great it’s going to be.”

Wilson first encountered Terry and his wife, Kim Pegula, when she had input in selling the Bills to them in 2014 for a then-NFL record $1.4 billion following her husband’s death.

“It’s incredible. They’re going to make a big splash,” she said.

The ground-breaking comes a little more than a month since an agreement between the Bills and state and county governments was approved, and some 14 months after the framework of a deal was agreed to, with taxpayer money set aside in the state budget.

The new facility will replace the Bills current home, Highmark Stadium, which opened in 1973, and was deemed by a state study as being too expensive to renovate. The new stadium will carry over the naming rights after the Bills announced a long-term deal with Highmark, a health insurance provider, and become the franchise’s third home.

Established by Wilson in 1960 as an American Football League franchise, the Bills spent their first 13 seasons playing at War Memorial Stadium in midtown Buffalo.

Hochul, who grew up a Bills fan in nearby Hamburg, New York, emphasized the benefits — both financial and psychological to one of the NFL’s smallest markets — that come with keeping the franchise in Buffalo. She said the team’s annual economic impact to the community is $385 million, while saying the construction of the facility will result in 10,000 union jobs.

“This is one of the highlights of my time as your governor to make sure we’d deliver what I said we would do for keeping the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo for at least another generation,” said Hochul, who was dressed in Bills blue and red colors, and even wore sneakers with the team’s logo on them.

The deal has been questioned, with critics referring to it as corporate welfare in using taxpayer funds to support Pegula, who has a projected net worth of $6.7 billion, and also owns the NHL's Sabres.

Questions were also raised as to whether it would have been better to bring the Bills back to playing in Buffalo to help revitalize the city’s core rather than remain in suburban Orchard Park.

The most poignant moment of the ceremony came when Pegula grew emotional and paused for 25 seconds before catching his breath.

Wiping away tears, Pegula listed the names of 10 Black victims who were killed in a racially motivated shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022.

Pegula then noted to his wife, who was not present and dealing with significant language and memory issues after going into cardiac arrest a year ago.

Saying he cheers for her every day, Pegula cited the Bellamy Brothers’ song “You’re My Favorite Star,” by saying, “And Kim, you are my favorite star.”

A few moments later, Pegula pointed to the team’s existing stadium and then to the stage on where he stood.

“We’re going to build a stadium here, right? And we’re going to tear down a stadium over there that’s full of memories,” Pegula said. “So we need to fill this stadium with more memories and continue our legacy. We should remember the past, but embrace the building of our future.”

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Floyd reunited with Miller after agreeing to 1-year deal with Bills, AP source says

Photo: The Canadian Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to sign linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year contract in reuniting the player with fellow edge rusher, Von Miller, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed. The NFL Network first reported the agreement.

The 30-year-old Floyd is entering his eighth NFL season after spending the past three with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl two years ago while playing on the opposite side of the line as Miller — the NFL's active leader in sacks. In 104 games, all starts, Floyd has 47 1/2 sacks since being selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2016 draft.

Floyd’s presence should immediately upgrade Buffalo’s pass rush even though his on-field reunion with Miller is likely going to have to wait. Miller had surgery on his right knee in December and his timetable to return is not clear, with the possibility of the player missing the start of the season.

Later in the day, Miller told The AP that while he's still aiming to be ready for the season opener, Floyd's addition relieves some of the urgency to rush back into action.

“It takes some of the expectations off. I could just take my time and do whatever it takes, and I can come back when I'm absolutely 100%,” Miller said. “We got guys that are going to be ready to go even if I'm not.”

Buffalo’s defense struggled in generating pressure after Miller was sidelined in late November. If he's not available, Miller envisioned a defensive line bookended by a pair of tall ends with Floyd listed at 6-foot-5 and a 6-foot-6 Greg Rousseau.

In welcoming Floyd to Buffalo, Miller said he pitched the idea of his former teammate signing with the Bills by comparing the three-time defending AFC champions' culture as being similar to that of the Rams in 2021. And Floyd joins three other former Rams — cornerback Taylor Rapp, linebacker Travin Howard and offensive guard David Edwards — who have signed with Buffalo this offseason.

“Shoot, all we need is Aaron Donald, man,” Miller said with a laugh, referring to the three-time NFL defensive player of the year . “Ed Oliver and him, they would go crazy.”

Floyd’s agreement comes the same day as the Bills announced the signing of defensive tackle Ed Oliver to a four-year $68 million contract, two days after the sides reached an agreement. In negotiating the contract extension, which runs through the 2027 season, the person said the Bills restructured the final year of Oliver’s existing deal to free up space under the salary cap for this season.

Oliver was guaranteed to make $10.7 million this season after the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract a year ago.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed.

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Norma Hunt, wife of late Chiefs founder and only woman to attend every Super Bowl, dies at 85

Photo: The Canadian Press

Norma Hunt, the second wife of the late Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and the only woman to attend every Super Bowl, has died. She was 85.

The Hunt family, which still owns the franchise, announced the passing of the Chiefs' matriarch in a statement released by the team Sunday night. No cause of death was given.

Norma Hunt was among the few to have attended every Super Bowl when she was present for the Chiefs' 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

Lamar Hunt, one of the founders of the AFL and a force behind its 1970 merger with the NFL, died in 2006.

Norma Hunt had two sons, Clark and Daniel, and was closely linked to the Chiefs franchise through her charitable work. Clark Hunt became the chairman of the franchise after his father's death and has become a leading voice in NFL ownership.

“Mom was steadfastly devoted to her family and fiercely passionate about her family’s sports teams,” the Hunt family said. "She was by our father Lamar’s side every step of the way — from the merger of the AFL and the NFL to the formation of Major League Soccer, World Championship Tennis, the North American Soccer League, and their founding investment in the Chicago Bulls.

“She was the only person we knew who rivaled his love of sports. The two of them found such joy together, whether at home, or in stadium stands around the world.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who knew Norma Hunt for almost four decades, called her “a significant presence in the NFL.”

“Norma’s sense of family extended to the Chiefs’ organization, which she greatly adored,” Goodell said. “Norma was one of the most passionate fans of the Chiefs and the NFL, and understood and enjoyed every aspect of the game. She loved being around the team and referred to the players as ‘real-life superheroes.’ Norma attended every Super Bowl ever played, including the two recent Chiefs’ victories, and was the only woman to do so.”

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who also had grown close to Hunt the past few years, posted on social media: “Mrs. Norma was the best. Glad to be a part of this special organization she helped build. She will be missed!”

The team had yet to announce memorial details Sunday night.

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Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver agrees to 4-year contract extension, AP sources say

Photo: The Canadian Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills are locking up defensive tackle Ed Oliver through the 2027 season after reaching an agreement to a four-year contract extension valued up to $68 million, two people familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The people spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been signed. One of the people provided the value of the contract, by adding Oliver is guaranteed to make $45 million.

ESPN.com first reported the deal being reached.

The Bills selected with the ninth pick in the 2019 draft out of the University of Houston. He was entering the final year of his contract after Buffalo picked up the fifth-year option of his deal last spring.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 287 pounds, the 25-year-old Oliver has been a full-time starter in Buffalo since his second season. He relies on his speed to penetrate the line of scrimmage and be disruptive in the backfield.

In missing three games with an ankle injury, Oliver had a career-low of 2 1/2 sacks in 13 games last season. Overall, he has 14 1/2 sacks, 30 tackles for losses and forced four fumbles in 62 career games.

The agreement begins to help solidifying the middle front of the Bills defense for the long-term future with Buffalo's other defensive tackles' contracts set to expire after this season.

Defensive line coach Eric Washington last week challenged Oliver to be better at anticipating plays.

“When you have the kind of talent that Ed has, you’ve got to be able to process very, very quickly ... so he can play ahead of a play as opposed to playing with the sequence of that particular play.” Washington said, while crediting Oliver for playing with more confidence.

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49ers defensive end Drake Jackson looks to build off 'humbling' rookie season

Photo: The Canadian Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Drake Jackson's promising rookie season for the San Francisco 49ers had a disappointing finish that has provided the fuel for his offseason.

After recording three sacks in his first six games lining up opposite Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, Jackson couldn't even get on the field by the end of the season.

Worn down by the rigors of his NFL season, Jackson was a healthy scratch in five of San Francisco's final six games, including all three in the postseason as he lacked the strength necessary to compete.

“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Jackson said. “So when they sat me, I kind of had to take myself from the game and see what else is going on that I need to be doing. So basically, it kind of helped me in a way because instead of me being mad or sad from being taken out of the game, I figured out things that I needed to do to help myself to better myself further on.”

The Niners made those things clear to Jackson at the exit meetings with coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. All three delivered the same message that if Jackson wanted to live up to his second-round draft billing, he would need to dedicate himself more to the weight room.

Jackson came back earlier than most of his teammates this offseason and has added about 13 pounds of muscle and has seen the results in the weight room, where he now is able to squat 415 pounds and bench press 315 pounds.

“I feel like you just got to take that and run with it,” Jackson said of the criticism. “If you take it the bad way or wrong way, it can affect you. I took that and I ran with it and I just made sure I hit those areas in the offseason where I was failing or not doing the best job at the end of the season.”

The work has impressed the demanding Kocurek, who was pleased when Jackson committed to coming back early.

Kocurek said he no longer wonders whether Jackson will be in the weight room when he arrives for work each morning.

“He really had to dig within himself this offseason and figure out, ‘What I want to do now. Do I want to go take this thing to the next level or I just want to be similar to what I was?’” Kocurek said. “He’s really put in the work. I don’t worry about when I start that truck up in the morning, if he’s going to be here working, he’s going to be here. He’s proven that.”

Kocurek believes the blow of being benched at the end of the last season resonated with Jackson, who had always been so physically gifted at lower levels that he could thrive without putting in the work necessary to succeed in the NFL.

“I seriously doubt that he ever got told that he wasn’t good enough to be on the field,” Kocurek said. “So he’s probably always been on the field. Then toward the end of the year, when strength levels kind of went down and got deactivated, I’m sure it was a humbling experience for him. He took it the right way."

The Niners are counting heavily on Jackson this season after losing key edge rushers Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu in free agency.

While San Francisco bolstered the interior rush by signing Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million contract, the 49ers have no proven outside rusher to complement Bosa.

That's where they hope Jackson can take the next step in Year 2.

“We knew that it wasn’t going to be a finished product with Drake,” Kocurek said. “We knew that it was going to be probably take the biggest jump going into Year 2 and even going into Year 3. We should see substantial strides in his game if he puts in the work and he’s willing to put in the work to get it done.”

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Eric Bieniemy making noise already as Washington Commanders offensive coordinator

Photo: The Canadian Press

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Before heading out to the field for another Washington Commanders offseason practice, coach Ron Rivera declared everyone would be able to hear new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Rivera wasn’t kidding.

Bieniemy, the two-time Super Bowl-winning assistant who spent the last 10 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, was audible to just about everybody, no matter where they were in the practice facility. No matter if music was blaring from speakers during position workouts or players yelled during 7-on-7 drills, Bieniemy wouldn’t be drowned out.

“We got to get up to the line of scrimmage!”

“Watch your body language!”

“Who’s going to make that block if you don’t?”

Those were some of the words of wisdom shouted out by the 53-year-old assistant who made the decision to break away from Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes this offseason in order to perhaps get a better shot at a head coaching opportunity in the future.

“I’m pretty loud at every practice, but it’s fun,” Bieniemy said Thursday. “The thing that I want them to understand while we’re out there is maximizing every single opportunity that we have, so yes, you have to create energy. We have to bring that energy so our players can feed off of that so they can be excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Second-year quarterback Sam Howell, the projected Week 1 starter, said Bieniemy cares about the details.

“He’s very hard on us, and he sets a high standard," Howell said. "But that’s what we want.”

What the Commanders want is just a bit of the success the Chiefs experienced over the past five seasons with Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. They won the Super Bowl twice, reached a third and also made two additional AFC title game appearances.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Commanders.

Washington has not appeared in a conference championship game since winning a third Super Bowl in a 10-year period in the 1991 season. That same season, Bieniemy began his nine-year playing career in the NFL as a rookie running back for the San Diego Chargers.

Yes, it has been awhile.

If the energetic Bieniemy is going to help turn Washington around and in the process prove to some that he’s ready to be a head coach sooner rather than later, he will need consistent play at QB.

That’s been far easier said than done for Washington since the long-ago glory days.

Last season, Howell became the eighth different QB to start in Rivera’s first three seasons, leading the Commanders to a 26-6 win over playoff-bound Dallas in Week 18.

Whoever is under center Sept. 10 against Arizona — Howell or veteran Jacoby Brissett, who was signed in the offseason from Cleveland — will be the seventh different Week 1 starter in as many seasons for Washington.

“This is a quarterback-driven league,” Rivera said. “That is what the difference is. The teams having success right now have consistent quarterbacks.”

This is not a problem Bieniemy faced at his last stop. Mahomes was drafted in the first round in 2017 to be Kansas City's future franchise QB.

Howell was once projected to be a top-10 pick but slipped to the fifth round in 2022 before Washington finally took a chance on the North Carolina product.

Attempting to emulate the highly decorated Mahomes, a two-time league MVP and two-time Super Bowl MVP with five Pro Bowl selections, would be difficult for anyone. Still, Howell has been studying film of Mahomes since Bieniemy was hired in February.

“Once I knew we had EB, I was kind of watching Kansas City film and kind of seeing what they were doing,” Howell said. "Obviously, I watch the film and I think Patrick does a heck of a job and he excels on extending the play and making those off platform throws.

"I think I’m capable of making plays myself. I don’t try and go out there and be anybody else. I try to go out there and be the best version of myself.”

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Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III hopes to turn award disappointment into on-field success

Photo: The Canadian Press

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Kenneth Walker III had a terrific rookie season after being called upon to take a bigger role as the primary ball carrier for the Seattle Seahawks.

His rookie year was so good that right up until the point the announcement was made during the NFL Honors award show during Super Bowl week, Walker felt confident he was going to be named offensive rookie of the year.

Instead, it was Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson who walked up on the stage and received the award.

“Yeah, I thought I was going to win it, but Garrett Wilson is a great player though,” Walker said Thursday after the Seahawks wrapped up their latest offseason workout.

To his point, Walker did have a rookie season worthy of being acknowledged as the best in the league. He led NFL rookies in rushing touchdowns with nine as part of a season during which he played in 15 games and ran for 1,050 yards.

Finishing second in the offensive player of the year voting became a momentary topic Thursday when Walker’s position coach, Chad Morton, ran past and jokingly yelled that Walker should have been the award winner.

Walker actually received one more first-place vote than Wilson, but Wilson had more total points in the voting.

“(I was) kind of frustrated, but it happens. I can’t make those decisions,” Walker said. “I just have to come out here and do my best and get better.”

Last offseason, Walker was focused on learning after being drafted by the Seahawks in the second round and he leaned heavily on Rashaad Penny to help him in pick up Seattle’s offensive system.

Now Walker is the one passing on information after Seattle added a few more bodies to its running backs room by drafting Zach Charbonnet in the second round and Kenny McIntosh in the seventh.

“I just hope I can be a mentor to the running backs that are younger than me, like Rashaad was to me,” Walker said. “I just hope I can guide those guys in the right direction.”

Walker saw first-hand the importance of having depth in the backfield last season as he was thrust into a starting role after Penny was lost to a season-ending lower leg injury after Week 5. With the additions of Charbonnet and McIntosh, and veteran DeeJay Dallas, the Seahawks feel there is a good variety of styles and skills in their offensive backfield.

“I think this is a great time of the year for all of the running backs to continue to develop a wide variety of skills when you don’t have the pads on,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “We are not going live in the run game so to speak, so the more that you can do and the more that you can develop a wide range of skills for those guys, I think will be beneficial.”

INJURY UPDATES

Tariq Woolen watched Thursday’s workout following surgery to repair a cartilage issue in his right knee last week. Coach Pete Carroll said the second-year cornerback noticed something felt amiss in his knee and that eventually led to the decision to have surgery.

Woolen is expected back in four to six weeks.

The Seahawks expect linebacker Jordyn Brooks (ACL) and safety Jamal Adams (quadriceps tendon) to be in attendance at minicamp next week. Carroll said the team will likely have a better timeline for their return to the field early in training camp.

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Chargers coordinator Moore taking offense through first lap through playbook

Photo: The Canadian Press

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Kellen Moore is with a new team, yet he has the same mandate.

Take a good offense and make it great.

Moore is in his first season as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator after eight years in Dallas, including the last four as coordinator. With the Bolts in their second week of voluntary on-field workouts, Moore is putting the unit through what he called a first lap through the playbook.

“It’s a little bit fast," Moore said, referring to the installation process over the next couple weeks. “There is going to be some stuff that is good, plenty of stuff that we have to clean up and redefine and all of that sort of stuff. Then, you just have to kind of ace it in training camp.”

Moore is quarterback Justin Herbert's third offensive coordinator in four seasons. Shane Steichen directed the Bolts offense as well as being QBs coach under Anthony Lynn in 2020 before Lynn was fired at the end of the season. Joe Lombardi was the coordinator the past two seasons under head coach Brandon Staley.

Even though Herbert was second in the league last season in completions (477) and passing yards (4,739), the Chargers were inconsistent on offense.

Los Angeles was ranked ninth in total offense, but 20th in scrimmage yards per play along with having the third-worst rushing attack in the league.

The Chargers also had the second-biggest discrepancy between passing and running plays (65% pass to 35% run).

By comparison, Dallas was fourth in total offense, ninth in rushing and 21st in scrimmage yards per play last season.

After sitting behind his desk watching film for the first three months after getting hired, Moore has been happy to get on the field the last couple weeks to start installing the offense.

“You’re able to carry over what we can from the past couple of years and then build off some of the Dallas stuff that is, maybe, coming from a scheme standpoint," he said. "There are a lot of different ways of playing football, and you just have to keep it tight and condensed so that these guys can play fast.”

While Moore sounded this week as if he is not planning to do much tinkering with the passing game concepts, his bigger concerns have been with trying to make adjustments to the run game to get it back on track.

The Cowboys ran it 47% of the time last season, which was tied for the ninth-highest percentage of run plays.

Moore said the biggest thing he wants to do with the run game is streamline it so the team moves at a quicker pace.

“I think it’s identifying what your primary runs are going to be, your go-to runs," he said. “Trying to identify what are going to be our strengths, and then you have to have enough flavors through a season just to be able to present different things to defense, protect your primary runs.”

The Dallas offense was balanced the past couple seasons because it had two great backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Austin Ekeler, who led the league with 18 touchdowns from scrimmage last season, has emerged as one of the NFL's top all-purpose backs and will be in the backfield one more season after incentives were added to his contract. But Moore will be looking for either Isaiah Spiller or Joshua Kelley to emerge as a dependable second back.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has had five offensive coordinators since being drafted by the Chargers in 2013, has been happy with Moore's approach to the offense during the offseason.

“He’s played before, so he knows what we like, what we don’t like, how defenses play, rather than sticking to something that has been in the offense for a long time. He’s willing to change it and make it more friendly to us,” Allen said.

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Buffalo Bills sign Brandon Shell to add veteran offensive line depth

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills added veteran depth to their offensive line by signing Brandon Shell to a one-year contract on Thursday.

Shell is listed at 6-foot-5 and 324 pounds and has seven years of NFL experience, starting 11 games for Miami last season after being promoted off the Dolphins’ practice squad. He spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets and spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks.

With 72 starts in 83 career games, Shell has spent much of his career playing right tackle. He was a four-year starter at South Carolina and selected by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.

Shell's great-uncle is Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Art Shell, who spent his 15-year career with the Raiders.

The Bills opened a roster spot for Shell by releasing defensive tackle Brandin Bryant, who appeared in seven games combined over the past three seasons.

In a separate move, Buffalo shuffled its receiver depth by signing Marcell Ateman and releasing undrafted rookie free agent Braydon Johnson. Ateman spent this year playing for the XFL St. Louis Battlehawks and previously spent three seasons with the NFL's Raiders.

Ateman was selected by Oakland in the seventh round of the 2018 draft and had 20 catches for 270 yards and a touchdown in 19 games spanning 2018-21.

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