The Buffalo Bills came into training camp with a loaded wide receiver corps, including two who finished on the NFL All-Pro list last season and a Pro Bowl newcomer.
But in training camp this week, it was the receiver who finished the 2020 season with just one target who outshined almost all the rest. Jake Kumerow, who joined the Bills last season and saw limited time on offense before the New Orleans Saints snatched him from Buffalo’s practice squad, is back with the Bills and looking like a star in training camp, one insider reports.
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Kumerow Shines in Camp
After playing mostly with the special teams unit last season, Kumerow has made the most of his opportunities with the first-team offense in training camp. With Emmanuel Sanders missing time with a foot injury, the 6-foot-4 Kumerow has the chance to get more reps. According to Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com, he looks to be the second-best receiver in camp so far.
“Now fighting for a roster spot in a talent-rich wide receivers room, Kumerow has been the biggest playmaker of the bunch behind Stefon Diggs since training camp began last week. He’s made big catches and has been up to the challenge against some of the Bills best defensive backs,” Parrino wrote, adding that Kumerow looked like a “superstar” at times.
Bills training camp: Emmanuel Sanders misses practice with an injury, but Gabriel Davis, Jake Kumerow step up
He noted that Kumerow ended up matched against Tre’Davious White in one-on-one drills, but beat the NFL All-Pro and caught a tightly contested pass near the goal line.
“White was draped all over him but Kumerow fought at the catch point, made the grab and came down with it for the win. A few plays later he changed it up and ran a quick in-breaker route and dove to haul it in as a frustrated White went back to the defensive sideline,” Parrino wrote.
Tough Competition
Kumerow flashed some of his abilities last season, turning his only target of the season into a 22-yard touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos. The 29-year-old came from the Green Bay Packers, where over two seasons he caught a total of 20 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns and had a big supporter in Aaron Rodgers.
With the front end of the wide receiver rotation likely locked in with Diggs, Sanders, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis, Kumerow is left fighting with some newer faces for one of the remaining roster spots. As Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic noted, there has been some early buzz around the play of 2020 sixth-round pick Isaiah Hodgins and rookie Marquez Stevenson, who was taken in the sixth round of May’s draft.
Bills WR Jake Kumerow is having a solid camp, and he reportedly looked like a “superstar” at practice on Thursday.
But Kumerow has risen to the top, taking reps with the first-team offense within four days of training camp opening, Buscaglia noted. Kumerow said getting the chance to play with the starters has given him a big boost.
“It’s a good feeling to be out there, get in the huddle with those guys, give ’em all fist bumps, dap ’em up,” he said. “You really just gotta make sure you stay on top of your stuff, though, because getting in there is one thing. But performing and knowing what you’re doing is another thing. Being able to play fast is huge because if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t play fast.”
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Surprising Bills WR Playing Like a ‘Superstar’ at Training Camp: Report