Ryan O'Halloran: Rating Buffalo Bills issues as big deal, medium deal, no deal

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Ryan O'Halloran

Sports Reporter

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A preseason edition of "Big Deal, Medium Deal, No Deal," heading into the Buffalo Bills' exhibition opener against the New York Giants on Saturday:

James Cook's hold-in: Cook, the Bills' starting running back whose 16 rushing touchdowns last year tied for the NFL lead, reported for camp last month and practiced fully despite being disappointed, discouraged, disgusted (take your pick) about the state of contract extension talks.

But Cook declined to participate in all four practices this week. He is with the team and attending meetings, which I guess is better than leaving camp and asking for a trade.

Big/medium/no deal? Big deal ... and getting bigger by the day. If this keeps going, the Bills might have to sign another tailback to get through camp because they don't want to overtax Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. There should be moderate concern if Cook doesn't practice until Week 1 - running back is a rhythm/conditioning position, so who says he won't be ready for full duty against Baltimore? Both sides are clearly dug in on their stances and they are standing miles apart.

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Starting safeties injured: The Bills really wanted second-year safety Cole Bishop to seize the starting job alongside Taylor Rapp. But Bishop is currently out with a quad injury, a year after he missed the preseason with a shoulder issue. Rapp, meanwhile, will miss at least another week with a knee injury.

The Bishop and Rapp injuries left Damar Hamlin and Cam Lewis as the first-team safeties Thursday.

Big/medium/no deal? Big deal ... big, big, big deal, in fact. This was a position of little depth entering camp and now both starters are shelved. Anybody got a cell number for Jordan Poyer?

Maxwell Hairston's knee injury: The Bills' first-round pick, Hairston sustained a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee on July 29. I wouldn't be surprised if Hairston misses the start of the season. The orthopedic surgeon I talked to after the injury estimated a recovery time of five to six weeks. The Bills shouldn't push it.

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Hairston's injury leaves the door wide open for Tre'Davious White to start the season opposite Christian Benford.

Big/medium/no deal? Medium deal ... for now. The guess on the Bills' Plan A was to sign White and start him until they feel Hairston has his bearings and maybe even share time; White shouldn't be counted on to be a 1,000-snap player. Now? White better be ready to roll from the jump.

Top receiver hurt: Receiver Khalil Shakir sprained his right ankle during the Aug. 1 stadium practice, leaving quarterback Josh Allen without his best receiver to get through camp.

Big/medium/no deal? No deal ... based on experience. Shakir hurt his right ankle in last year's loss at Baltimore and missed only one game. He'll be ready to go for Week 1.

Quick kicks

1. "Hard Knocks" take. The football guy in me wants to see more footage of position meetings, coach Sean McDermott's speeches to the team and any kind of Allen back and forth with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The first episode usually serves as introduction to the team's personalities, information that you know as Bills fans. Here's guessing the second episode (Tuesday, 9 p.m. on HBO) leads with the Cook debacle.

2. White to lead NFLPA. The NFLPA voted to appoint David White (a finalist a few years ago) as interim executive director. Some say White has a tall task organizing the union to go in one direction. I actually think it will be easy - that's how low his predecessor, Lloyd Howell, set the bar. White needs to hit the road and visit all 32 locker rooms in the first month. That will create needed trust.

3. Watching Allen. Hey, backup quarterback Mike White, what's it like watching Allen play in person? "As a backup, you always watch the play and the pre-snap read and say, 'This is what I'm thinking,' and see if you see things the same way as he does. But there is some stuff where he runs around and is a man amongst boys and I'm saying, 'I don't know if I have that in my game. I might have had to check it down or throw it away.' Not Josh. You're saying, 'Get rid of it, get rid of it, get rid of it, oh my god, oh nice.' You always trust him."

4. That's a wrap. And with this final column, my race has been run in Buffalo. After nearly three years at The News - my first game was the Bills' Week 4 come-from-behind win at Baltimore in 2022 - I'm off to the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville to serve as a general sports columnist, my second stint at the paper after serving as the Jaguars' beat writer from 2012-17.

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Sports Reporter

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