1st & Ten With Cardale Jones

As Cardale Jones waits quietly for his chance to show his worth at the NFL level, he’s been working diligently behind the scenes to work on his game and improve upon his shortcomings. The Bills selected Jones in the fourth round as a long-term project at the position, treating this year as a redshirt season of sorts. The strong-armed passer has all the tools to succeed at the pro level — he has a cannon for an arm, along with elite physical tools — and showed strides in the preseason after an inconsistent debut with the Bills. Jones spoke to a small group of reporters recently about his progress this year, and here are the highlights from that conversation.

1 We’re not able to see a lot of your progress on the field this year because practices are mostly closed during the regular season, but how have things been going for you this year?

A: I’m just trying to take advantage of all my opportunities, just basically going off our coaches’ feedback and improving on things they want to see improved on each and every day, each and every week.

2 What’s the challenge in just trying to get better through film and practice and not being able to test your progress in a game setting?

A: To me, it’s no challenge at all because I feel like every day out there in practice, that’s my chance to play in a game. I’m playing against an NFL defense, so that’s my game time — each and every day we go up against some of the best athletes in the world, some of the best guys at what they do at their job. So I take it as a game.

3 Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said you’re picking things up well and praised your intelligence. Do you pride yourself in being a smart player and has that made the transition easier for you at all?