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Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady will retain pieces of Sean McDermott's staff.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Skyler Bell was expected to compete for a significant role in the offense this year, but a minicamp setback could leave the fourth-round rookie with a long road back to a spot on the depth chart.

Bell looked impressive through the team’s early practices this offseason, leading to speculation that he could push embattled wide receiver Keon Coleman further down the depth chart. But an injury robbed him of the chance to show more to the team’s coaching staff, leaving a long wait before he can take the field again at training camp.

Skyler Bell’s Lost Opportunity

SI.com reporter Randy Gurzi identified players who saw their stock either rising or falling after minicamp, and put Bell in the latter category. Gurzi noted that Bell needs opportunities if he wants to rise on the depth chart, and missed some critical ones at last week’s mandatory minicamp.

“During OTAs, Skyler Bell’s stock was soaring,” Gurzi wrote. “He shook off a rough first practice and began to turn heads with his confidence and smooth route-running. Bell looked poised to steal snaps from Keon Coleman, who enters this season on the hot seat.

“That said, Bell spent the end of minicamp sidelined with an apparent hamstring injury. That has his stock down slightly, but he can quickly fix this should he show up to camp healthy.”

Bell had a shaky start to the team’s earlier practices, dropping some balls during drills and earning extra attention from head coach Joe Brady.

“He was just telling me just to be myself and stop overthinking,” Bell said, via NYUP.com. “That’s all it is with me. I was just in my head a little bit and getting jitters and things like that. And he was just telling me just be yourself and once you’re here, you’re here for a reason.”

Skyler Bell Still Faces Big Opportunity

Bell could still have the chance to continue his rise when training camp opens at the end of July. The team has undergone some changes at wide receiver, cutting ties with Curtis Samuel and bringing in DJ Moore through a trade with the Chicago Bears.

Reporter Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle predicted that Bell could have the chance to surpass Coleman, who occupies a shaky position on the depth chart after he struggled with disciplinary issues last year.

“Unless something changes, Coleman is going to battle for the No. 4 spot in the rotation, and the only real threat right now would seem to be Bell,” Maiorana wrote. “As ESPN’s Mel Kiper said after the pick was made Saturday, ‘Josh Allen is going to love Skyler Bell’ so if he can seamlessly make the transition to the NFL, Coleman could be in trouble no matter how much love Beane and Brady have showered him with.”