PITTSFORD — Dorian Williams knows how to ride the wave.
He knows that if he hits it head-first, his odds of sinking increase. It comes from experience.
When Matt Milano suffered a leg fracture early in a 2023 Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Williams was sent in as his replacement. The Buffalo Bills rookie third-round pick got hooked quickly and was used sporadically the rest of the season.
After Milano was injured in training camp the following year, Williams got another chance. This time he produced in 11 starts. But when Milano was healthy, Williams went back to a secondary role despite a team-high 117 tackles.
Milano wasn’t re-signed during the offseason, which meant Williams was finally the front-runner to start at weakside linebacker. And a new coaching staff meant he could be evaluated with a fresh opinion heading into the final year of his rookie contract.
Then he fractured his knee in minicamp.
Williams was gone for the entire spring. A chance to impress the new coaches was delayed while rookie fourth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr was praised for his early performance.
Don’t tell Williams he should be upset about it.
“That’s part of ball, man,” Williams told GNN Sports after practice Wednesday. “It’s not always going to be picture-perfect, it’s not going to be your ideal situation. But I want to win and that’s what I think we’re all here for is to win.”
Williams insisted he no longer felt bothered by the injury and he wore no braces or sleeves that would indicate he was ever hurt. But general manager Brandon Beane said Williams — and linebacker Terrel Bernard, who had offseason ankle surgery — would gradually see their practice time increase during camp.
That means Williams will have limited practice opportunities. And it’s a year when Williams needs to put tape together. The Bills have shown they will pay linebackers when warranted, but will go the cheap route if possible. That’s why they are confident Williams and Elarms-Orr can replace Milano rather than spending money on a veteran.
There’s no question Williams has potential. He’s athletic, with a nose for the ball and arrives like a freight train when he finds it. Being a reliable three-down player has been Williams’ struggle during his career.
The Bills have tried to avoid dropping Williams coverage, to the extent they used more dime packages (six defensive backs) on obvious passing downs while he was the starter in 2024. Williams was often used as an in-line spy on passing downs against teams with athletic quarterbacks.
“I think we had a pretty professional approach going into games with our study habits, all the things I’ve learned,” Williams said. “So just being ready body, mind, spirit — everything’s good and God will take care of the rest.”
Fending off Elarms-Orr — who Beane compared to Williams after the NFL Draft — will be Williams’ biggest challenge. Because even though Williams has three years of experience, Elarms-Orr got the early reps in defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s new defense.
Not only were Williams and Bernard hampered by injuries, so was Joe Andreessen. So Elarms-Orr played a lot of snaps and was able to do it at both inside linebacker positions. And he was paired alongside Bernard on the first team during the first training camp practice Wednesday.
Andreessen, Bernard and Williams were all limited during team sessions, but Williams got some time with the first team later in practice.
“Kaleb had a good spring,” Beane said. “… We’ve got to get him in pads and see what that looks like. In T-shirts and shorts, I think he’s doing a nice job for a young guy. Don’t want to jump to conclusions, but we’ll see. He’s going to get opportunities.”
Practice notes:
• Wide receiver Tyrell Shavers was the only player who didn’t participate Wednesday. He is still recovering from a torn ACL in the AFC wild-card game against the Jaguars and will start the season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). Beane didn’t offer a timetable other than Shavers wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season.
• Wide receiver Keon Coleman overcame an early drop in practice to haul in a difficult catch along the sideline on the next play. Coleman also was the first player to get a crack at returning punts.
• Alec Anderson shared first-team snaps with Austin Corbett at left guard, but Anderson got the bulk of the reps.
• DeWayne Carter, Phidarian Mathis and Deone Walker also saw time at nose tackle with the first-team defense as the Bills substituted liberally. Rookie undrafted free agent Kani Walker was the team’s fourth cornerback.
• The Bills return to practice at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.