ORCHARD PARK — Ryan Van Demark was perched in a tree stand clutching a hunting rifle, taking in the scenery around him.
All Van Demark could hear were a few birds chirping and leaves rustling. It was peaceful and soothing, a drastic change from the arena he would enter two days later packed with 70,000 screaming maniacs.
Van Demark was attempting to get into the right mental space because the Buffalo Bills were set to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did the game pit two of the NFL’s titans, but Van Demark was set to make his first NFL start at right tackle against his team’s nemesis.
With starter Spencer Brown nursing an ankle injury, Van Demark allowed two pressures and no sacks on 40 pass attempts. Had rookie Tylan Grable not torn his groin Week 3, Van Demark may not have gotten that chance.
But after Brown started the season on the shelf with a back injury, Van Demark logged most of the first-team snaps heading into the preseason opener. And then he moved to left tackle when Dion Dawkins missed practice last week.
Van Demark had already gained a slight edge on Grable as the No. 3 tackle, but he’s put a stranglehold on it since Grable suffered a concussion a week ago. With less than a week until final cuts, Van Demark’s task is to hold onto that spot.
“I’m kind of just working every day,” Van Demark told GNN Sports. “It doesn’t really matter what anybody else does. ‘How can I be the best version of myself?’ And now just going out there, keeping my head down and trying to be the best tackle that I could possibly be. … To finally get out there and start putting some good stuff on film and some recognition feels good.
The last month has been topsy-turvy for Van Demark compared to last season. After going undrafted, released by the Colts and spending 2022 on the practice squad, Van Demark emerged as the team’s top backup tackle in 2023.
He entered last year’s training camp with that spot, but Grable surprised everyone. A sixth-round pick who was a high school quarterback and hadn’t played tackle since 2019, Grable was viewed as a project and a potential practice squad player as a rookie.
But Grable gradually climbed the depth chart and snatched Van Demark’s job by the end of the preseason. Van Demark was suddenly a healthy scratch for the first three games of the season.
With Brown on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, Grable and Van Demark split first-team reps, with Grable usually getting the first crack. But a week into camp, the roles switched.
“I was upset when the season started last year,” Van Demark said. “It is what it is. I know I had the best camp I could have had and I really put the work out there. I just took every day and came out to practice and worked what I had to work on. … I feel like I took advantage of my opportunity and played well when Spencer went down. That’s really all I could do in that situation.”
To prepare for that situation, Van Demark began hunting Fridays after practice. He wasn’t exposed to it growing up in Wayne, New Jersey, a town of 54,000 people less than 20 miles from Manhattan.
But Van Demark became friends with Brown and former Bills tackle Tommy Doyle, both of whom are avid hunters. Then they met Justin Grimm, who has land to hunt on East Aurora. So it became a regular routine.
After Van Demark’s solid performance against the Chiefs, most of his teammates bolted out of town for the bye week. But Van Demark and Doyle stuck around and hunted deer all week.
Whether Van Demark shoots anything during his three hours in a tree stand is irrelevant. He just finds being out there cathartic.
“It’s kind of a good close to the week,” Van Demark said. “I just like being out there in the stand in nature for three hours. If I don’t see anything, whatever. If I see it, cool, then let’s get it. It’s just a blessing to be out there. It’s a good way to clear your head from the week and just get ready for the game.”
Practice notes
With kicker Tyler Bass returning from a pelvic injury, the Bills released Caden Davis Wednesday. They also waived running back Jarveon Howard, who was injured Tuesday in his first practice with the Bills. They re-signed guard Rush Reimer, along with cornerback Zy Alexander and running back Elijah Young.
Guard Alec Anderson (knee), defensive end Nelson Ceasar (shoulder), defensive back Cam Lewis (calf), receiver Curtis Samuel (hamstring), defensive end Javon Solomon (wrist) and linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring) all returned to practice in full Wednesday.
Recently-signed receiver Grant DuBose was carted off the field after sustaining what appeared to be a chest injury during 7-on-7 drills. Nickelback Taron Johnson was briefly checked by trainers for a rib injury after falling on receiver Keon Coleman after knocking away a pass along the sideline.
• With Connor McGovern still limited with a hamstring injury, Anderson and Kendrick Green split snaps at center during 11-on-11 sessions. Anderson was the backup center last season, while Green has 19 career starts between the Steelers and Texans.
• It was a relatively sloppy practice for the offense. They were twice sent for laps due to pre-snap penalties.
• Josh Allen threw an ill-advised pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid down the middle of the field. Kincaid collided with Taylor Rapp in the air. Kincaid was slow to get up and Allen shouted at Rapp from across the field to express his displeasure for the collision.
• The Bills also worked on some trick plays on the goal line. Coleman took an end-around, stopped and threw it back across the field to Allen, who made a diving touchdown catch. Coleman then taunted cornerback Tre’Davious White, who then slapped hands with the entire offense for catching the defense off-guard.
• A few minutes later, Coleman caught a short pass and then tried to lateral it to Brown. But the ball was behind Brown and cornerback Christian Benford plucked it out of the air.