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General managers and coaches don鈥檛 build their depth charts based on how recent draft picks, undrafted free-agent signings and tryout players perform against each other.

Rookie minicamps are used to onboard those players and prepare them for training camp. The stakes will be higher Tuesday, however, when the Buffalo Bills gather for their first of six organized team activities practices over the next two weeks.

The Bills are among the 15 teams that elected to not use all 10 of the permitted practices for OTAs. Sean McDermott, entering his ninth season as coach, explained to The Buffalo News in a recent interview that he didn鈥檛 want to further shorten their offseason after the team鈥檚 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.

Here are five storylines to watch:

Prime time

How will players react to the NFL selecting the Bills to be featured on the HBO docuseries 鈥樷�滺ard Knocks鈥�?

It is unlikely you鈥檒l hear anyone complain about the intrusion, but the Bills didn鈥檛 ask to be included, either. NFL Films鈥� cameras will be in meeting rooms and on the practice fields. The team can鈥檛 control what is or isn鈥檛 shown when the first episode debuts Aug. 5. Players are accustomed to scrutiny, but that doesn鈥檛 mean everyone is comfortable being filmed in meetings.

The Bills trust that their culture and leadership will help them to navigate the microscope and attention that comes with 鈥淗ard Knocks.鈥�

Attendance check

Will James Cook join his teammates this week?

The two-time Pro Bowl running back was not at One Bills Drive for the start of the voluntary offseason program last month because he wants a lucrative long-term contract extension that would make him one of the NFL鈥檚 highest-paid players at his position.

Beane extended three other 2022 draft choices 鈭� linebacker Terrel Bernard, wide receiver Khalil Shakir and cornerback Christian Benford 鈭� but the Bills have declined to extend Cook, who became the franchise鈥檚 first player with 20-plus touchdowns in a season since O.J. Simpson had 23 in 1975.

Offseason workouts are voluntary until June 10, so Cook鈥檚 absence Tuesday wouldn鈥檛 be a big deal. He is training in Florida to prepare for the season. The 2022 second-round draft pick will need to be at mandatory minicamp to avoid fines of $16,459 (first day), $32,920 (second day) and $49,374 (third day).

Cook is owed a $5.271 million base salary, an increase of $1.16 million from last season, but 18th among NFL running backs. Last season, he tied for the league lead with 16 regular-season rushing touchdowns, and ranked 16th with 1,009 rushing yards.

Receiving game

How will the Bills deploy their wide receivers following the additions of Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore?

There is not a proven No. 1 receiver on this depth chart. The best of the bunch, Shakir, had an impressive season in 2024, with career highs of 76 catches, 100 targets, 821 yards and four touchdowns, but the Bills鈥� loss in the AFC championship game was another reminder that face-of-the-franchise/quarterback Josh Allen needed a perimeter option who could get open.

Palmer was signed to a three-year, $36 million contract, $18 million of which was guaranteed, because he has proven he can get open against man coverage, and he should be able to block as effectively as the receiver he is replacing, Mack Hollins. These OTAs are an opportunity for Allen to continue to develop chemistry with a receiver who should play an important role this season.

Keon Coleman, the Bills鈥� top pick in the 2023 draft, should be their other starter in three-receiver sets. They need more from Coleman in his second season. He didn鈥檛 look the same after he returned from a wrist injury that cost him four games.

It is worth monitoring how the rest of the depth chart shakes out. Can the Bills count on Curtis Samuel to stay healthy and make an impact, or will someone like Moore emerge as a safety blanket for Allen? There is competition for snaps and a chance for the receivers to show offensive coordinator Joe Brady that he has the weapons to use 11 personnel more often.

Secondary

Are cornerback Maxwell Hairston and safety Cole Bishop ready to play prominent roles for the Bills鈥� defense?

Live contact is not allowed in these OTA and minicamp practices, but the 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are a chance to get a read on the Bills鈥� cornerbacks and safeties.

Hairston will enter training camp in July as the favorite to start opposite Benford. The Bills invested a first-round draft pick in Hairston, and he鈥檒l be able to rely on his elite speed as he continues to sharpen his technique under the guidance of cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae.

These practices are an opportunity for Hairston to show that he can blanket an experienced X receiver and nuanced route runner like Palmer. Hairston isn鈥檛 the biggest corner (5-foor-11, 183 pounds), so he鈥檒l also need to hold his own against physical receivers, particularly in press coverage. He can鈥檛 lose the competition for a starting spot in late May, but he can strengthen his odds.

Tre鈥橠avious White, Dane Jackson, 2025 sixth-round pick Dorian Strong and Ja鈥橫arcus Ingram are also competing for the chance to line up opposite Benford, with Taron Johnson at nickel.

The Bills did not prioritize safety in the draft, so they need Bishop to realize the potential that made him a second-round pick in 2024. A hamstring injury in training camp last year prevented Bishop from competing for a starting job. He had 53 tackles in 19 regular-season and playoff games, five of which he started.

Focal point

What should we expect from the Bills鈥� revamped defensive line?

We finally get a preview of how McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich plan to use their linemen. The Bills have so many options at tackle and defensive end that they can rotate certain players and positions more than past seasons.

For example, one of their free-agent signings, defensive end Joey Bosa, may be on a snap count each week to ensure he is healthy and productive late in the season. His position group may be one of the most intriguing to watch before Week 1.

Bosa, third-round draft pick Landon Jackson and A.J. Epenesa are the defensive ends that will need to take advantage of the double teams Greg Rousseau may command in his fifth season. Can the Bills get more out of Epenesa as a situational pass rusher? Michael Hoecht is the wild card of the group. He鈥檒l be able to play multiple positions when he returns from a six-game suspension.

At defensive tackle, there鈥檚 depth behind returning starters Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. The Bills used a second-round pick on T.J. Sanders, who, like DeWayne Carter and fourth-round pick Deone Walker, can play one- or three-technique. Larry Ogunjobi will join the group when he returns from a six-game suspension.