Getty Josh Allen looks on during a drill during Buffalo Bills training camp.
Josh Allen will be making his preseason debut on Saturday, but Buffalo Bills fans may have to stay glued to the television so they don’t miss the appearance.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed his plans for Allen and the team’s other starters, some of whom have seen little to no playing time through the abbreviated preseason. With just one more tune-up before the regular season starts, McDermott said it’s time to get some playing time for the group, though some of the appearances could be very, very brief.
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McDermott Shares the Plan for Bills Starters
After Allen and many of the team’s other top players remained out of the team’s first two games, at least some of them will be seeing action against the Green Bay Packers in front of home fans in Orchard Park. McDermott announced on Thursday that Allen will be starting and many other staters will as well, though their appearances could be as brief as a single play.
“Some of the starters won’t play, some will play, a majority will play anywhere from… one play, and this is not a cop out, I’m just trying to give you my mindset right now, one play to coming out of the locker room at half after halftime there in the third quarter,” McDermott said. “Where that falls for each and every individual? I think that we’d get choppy and this would be a 30-minute press conference here.”
While it’s not clear whether Allen will be one of those playing only one play, McDermott appeared set on limited playing time and plenty of precautions for the team’s top players to avoid injury.
Allen showed last season that he doesn’t need preseason reps to get off to a big start. After the league canceled the 2020 preseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Allen got off to a huge start in September. Through three games that month, he threw for a total of 1,038 yards with 10 passing touchdowns to go along with two rushing touchdowns.
Others to Miss Saturday’s Finale
While Bills fans will get the chance to see Allen suit up, there are many others who will remain sidelined for the preseason finale. As Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was listed as having a shoulder injury and was seen wearing a sling at practice, with the potential for a significant absence ahead of him.
The Bills had a number of other players who were not practicing due to injuries, including other pass-catchers. Both wide receiver Marquez Stevenson and tight end Tommy Sweeney were out with foot injuries, prompting the team to sign wide receiver and kick returner Steven Sims, who was recently released by the Washington Football Team.
As Bryan Manning of USA Today’s Washington Wire noted, Sims has a chance to prove himself after struggling last season.
“Sims took a step back in 2020 under Ron Rivera and the new coaching staff. He appeared in 12 games and finished with 27 receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown. His best performance, arguably, came in the wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he caught four passes and a touchdown,” he wrote.
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