Joshua Palmer is treating this Bills training camp like a fresh start.
That’s the vibe around Orchard Park, where the 26-year-old wide receiver has looked much more like the player Buffalo expected when he signed as a free agent before the 2025 season. After a slow opening and a Week 6 ankle injury against the Atlanta Falcons derailed his year, Palmer says he’s back on solid ground.
“I feel good, my body feels good,” Palmer said on Tuesday. “I'm well recovered. I'm flying around, so that's all I could really ask for.”
Through 10 days of camp, the production has backed that up. On Tuesday, Palmer and Josh Allen hooked up several times, including a deep touchdown and a big gain down the sideline during a two-minute drill. It was the kind of day that can change the mood around a player fast.
For Palmer, the focus is less on proving something to the outside world and more on rebuilding trust inside the building.
“You know, the biggest thing is getting the confidence of Josh (Allen) back,” Palmer said. “I missed a lot of time. The confidence on my team, that's all I really care about is my team having full confidence in me and Josh having full confidence in me.”
His teammates have noticed the difference. Keon Coleman was quick to point out how much better Palmer looks now that he’s healthy.
“I'm happy for him, bro,” fellow wide receiver Keon Coleman said. “You know, he's finally healthy, getting out there, making plays, and showing us who he really is, and I'm just happy for him.”
Right tackle Spencer Brown echoed that sentiment, saying Palmer’s play has been obvious and that the injury stretch took a toll beyond just the physical side.
“He's making a lot of plays right now,” right tackle Spencer Brown said. “He's flying around. I know last year he was lingering with injuries a lot, and that can not only affect your physicality or anything like that, but also like the mental strain of just going through it over and over and over again.”
Palmer’s 2025 season was the roughest of his career. He played in 12 games and finished with 22 catches, and he’s clearly looking to put that behind him.
“He's just been a lot better this year both on the field and off the field,” Brown added. “I look forward to seeing what he can do for sure because he's a, I mean, you guys saw it the other day, he's an absolute playmaker.”
Palmer said the work now is about reestablishing rhythm, even if he doesn’t believe the connection with Allen ever fully disappeared.
“I know we had a starting point last year, but I think it's a hard reset just because I missed so much time,” Palmer added. “So now it's just getting that, getting that trust and that timing back, which I don't feel like we ever lost, but, again, consistency and repetition is something that we need.”
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