PITTSFORD, N.Y. — For the Buffalo Bills on Monday, full pads officially went on for the first time — but only for a little while. Usually, when teams get to that point in camp, the pads go on and stay on for most of the summer as they make decisions that can impact the whole season.But new head coach Joe Brady took a slightly different approach in his first camp. The team started Monday’s practice in full shoulder pads, but about halfway through, just before 11-on-11 team drills began, each player went to the sideline to remove their shoulder pads and put their jerseys back on.Brady called it part of the ramp-up process, but explained that it is partly due to something that has bugged him during his coaching career.“I’ve always been bothered by seeing coming out the first day of pads, and everyone’s just adjusting and kind of, you know, thinking about all the pads as opposed to the detail, the physicality, the mindset of how we want to practice,” Brady explained. “Today’s more of the intentionality of, let’s wake up. We’re coming off an off day. Let’s wake up with the mentality that we’ve got to put our pads on. Let’s get used to it.”Did Buffalo Bills do enough this offseason?Robert MaysThe Bills’ first-year head coach was asked if he’s seen that done before, which led to his decision, but he said he hadn’t.“I’ve just always been a little frustrated when guys are spending time thinking about their pads on the first day, and now we’re gonna put the ball down,” he said. “It’s like, stop fixing your shoulder pads. ‘You know that rep didn’t go that way because my chin strap wasn’t where it needed to be,’ or so it’s like let’s get our focus on what it needs to be.”Brady’s goal in the unusual approach is to do a half-on, half-off day, which leads to the rest of a fully padded camp. That begins Tuesday.“I don’t want any excuses when they come out tomorrow. It’s like, hey, we’ve had the pads on, we’ve gone,” the head coach said. “Now, let’s go be a little physical with it.”In their first temporary day of pads, the Bills went through another rain-soaked practice, their third of the four practices so far this summer.Here’s what stood out on Day 4.Relatively good news on Gardner-JohnsonWith how things looked on Saturday, with projected starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting carted to the locker room, many feared the worst that his season could be done. However, with the diagnosis coming in as a calf strain, it kept a big part of their new defense available at some point this season, once he’s fully recovered. The Bills were mum on a timeline, as the return time from a calf strain can vary. However, especially with defensive backs relying on explosiveness in a game, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bills were extra cautious this time of year.Without Gardner-Johnson, the door opened for first-team reps. When the projected starter had to leave practice Saturday, the team’s initial response was to insert veteran free-agent signing Geno Stone into the first unit alongside starting safety Cole Bishop. Stone did get some additional time with the first unit on Monday, but the Bills are seeing what else they have on the roster. That brought about an opportunity for longtime Bills safety Damar Hamlin to work with the top defensive team alongside Bishop.It’s now the sixth season for Hamlin in Buffalo, though his first in a completely new defense under coordinator Jim Leonhard. Hamlin came into training camp seemingly on the wrong side of the bubble, given the sheer numbers at safety, the investment at the position in Gardner-Johnson, Stone and rookie Jalon Kilgore, and Hamlin’s low level of guaranteed money ($25,000) compared to his competition.However, Hamlin has done quite well with training camp opportunities in the past. Just two years ago, an early injury to Bishop was the catalyst for Hamlin spending the entire season as the team’s starting safety. Though it seems unlikely this circumstance would yield the same result for Hamlin in the starting lineup, this is as clear a chance to win a job on the 53-man roster as he may get. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he makes Stone expendable ($187,500 guaranteed) should Stone struggle, while both Hamlin and rookie Jalon Kilgore make strides in Leonhard’s defense. It remains an open-ended roster question with a month left to answer it.Hoecht beginning to look like himself againWhen the Bills entered the offseason, they didn’t quite know what this season would look like for edge rusher Michael Hoecht. He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in early November, putting any potential return timeline up in the air. Hoecht has remained steadfast in his desire to be ready for the start of the season, and judging by his practice activity level and movement abilities, that picture is beginning to become clearer for him.The pass rusher has consistently been working in on team drills, and was a part of the second-team duo behind starters Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb on Monday. More impressively, Hoecht is doing things you wouldn’t expect out of someone just coming back from a torn Achilles injury. In one-on-ones against third-year player Tylan Grable, Hoecht was rushing from the defensive right side, got out of his stance quickly, and pulled out a jump step and turned the corner to clear Grable for a quick pressure. A move like that turns heads because of Hoecht’s journey this offseason.Should all this continue, it does make you wonder if it makes someone like veteran pass rusher Mike Danna expendable. The team signed Danna after the draft in May for an additional boost to its depth chart and guaranteed the majority of his one-year salary. However, that decision was made nearly three months ago, and the Bills may not have known Hoecht would be moving this way so early in camp. As it stands, the Bills have four locks at outside linebacker in Rousseau, Chubb, Hoecht and top draft pick T.J. Parker. To keep Danna, the Bills either keep six and skimp at another position, or keep him ahead of Javon Solomon, whom the Bills appear invested in as a potential core-four special teams asset.Either way, from how the numbers looked ahead of camp to now with Hoecht’s progress, Hoecht has changed the math on defense.ne formoer early draft pick remains behind a veteranDuring Saturday’s practice, the Bills had their full complement of defensive linemen available, and we got a chance to see some of their rotation patterns and who was being used where. On Saturday, there was a minor shift due to the absence of second-year defensive lineman Deone Walker, who has spent time at both nose tackle and 4i this spring. The team did not issue an update as to why Walker sat out.