ORCHARD PARK — Kaleb Elarms-Orr doesn't change his facial expression much.
He's not excitable and his Buffalo Bills teammates have a running joke about who can make him smile. Few have succeeded.
If Elarms-Orr is playing a bit, he got lost in the role long ago.
Elarms-Orr has made the biggest impact out of any of Buffalo's rookie class, in the thick of a battle with veteran Dorian Williams to be the starting weakside linebacker. He relishes the physical part of football, but training camp practices aren't always the place to show it.
So it would make sense that Elarms-Orr would be ready for Buffalo's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers Saturday, or have the opportunity to hit someone with a different helmet logo, right? Elarms-Orr is equal opportunity.
"Guys in the same helmet or not, I'm going to still do my job 110%," Elarms-Orr told GNN Sports after practice Tuesday.
If Elarms-Orr isn't happy to get the chance to hit another team, the Bills certainly are. Elarms-Orr has been at the center of a few scuffles during training camp, although nothing to make teammates dislike him.
Right tackle Spencer Brown was the latest to take a crack at making him smile. He went to dap the rookie after practice Tuesday. Elarms-Orr reciprocated the hand slap, but not the hug. When Brown asked if he was a hugger, Elarms-Orr's lips curled into a brief smile.
During Thursday's practice, a ball rolled down to the opposite end zone during an 11-on-11 period. Both Elarms-Orr and safety Damar Hamlin jogged after the ball, with Hamlin a step ahead.
It was as if Elarms-Orr didn't see Hamlin when they reached for the ball simultaneously. His eyes and thoughts focused on one thing.
"He is by far the most serious job-oriented rookie I've ever seen come through One Bills Drive," Brown said. "And I don't think that's a bad thing. He knows what he wants, he knows how to get things done and he's been super successful the first 2 ½ weeks here. … Once the pads came on, he definitely showed his personality more. He's a wrecking ball."
Elarms-Orr just shrugs at the idea of being serious all the time.
"I know what I want," Elarms-Orr said. "I got goals. I just got things I want to accomplish and I'm going to go get it."
Since arriving in Orchard Park, Elarms-Orr has committed himself completely to football. He's a fixture in the film room and constantly pesters Bills inside linebackers coach John Egorugwu for extra face time when everyone has gone.
Egorugwu knows about quiet linebackers, having been around Matt Milano during his first stint with the Bills from 2017-2020. Admittedly, Elarms-Orr doesn't have much to say, but when he does, he's not afraid to open his mouth.
Defensive captain Terrel Bernard is entering his third season as the starting middle linebacker, but when Bernard was limited in minicamps after ankle surgery, Elarms-Orr got plenty of reps at the position. So impressive is Elarms-Orr in communication, commanding the huddle and asking questions that the Bills have moved Bernard to weakside on occasion during camp.
"He's all ball all the time," Egorugwu said. "It's to the point where sometimes I tell him, 'Hey, man. I need you to get away from it just to refresh your mind and get going.' … He's like a sponge, man. He doesn't usually make the same mistakes twice. You tell him something, he gets it corrected."
The next step for Elarms-Orr is showing it in a game. Even if it's a preseason game, the game speed will be turned up and it's the first time he will be dropped into an NFL game atmosphere.
Elarms-Orr will have a chance to show he can command the defense as the middle linebacker Saturday and is likely to get playing time even after the starters come out of the game.
"I want to see it translate from practice to a game," Bills head coach Joe Brady said. "I try not to believe in the gamer mentality. I don't want us to pick and choose when we compete. … There's nothing I hate more when guys are like, 'Oh, it's the playoffs. It's time to turn it on.' No, that's how it should have been in training camp."
