The Buffalo Bills opened their preseason slate against the Carolina Panthers with a 29-14 victory, but the main takeaway from this game was how much work head coach Joe Brady gave star quarterback Josh Allen and several of the team’s other starters. With their second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns taking place on Saturday, fans have been curious as to what the team’s plan for their starters will be in this game.
Prior to this game, the Bills and Browns clashed for a competitive joint practice on Thursday, with both teams’ starters getting a lot of work. While Cleveland is using this game as an important checkpoint in its ongoing quarterback battle, it seems like Buffalo is approaching this contest from a different vantage point.
Bills Set to Rest the Majority of Their Starters vs. Browns
It’ll be Kyle Allen starting at QB for Bills today in preseason game 2.
Bills got good work out of starters in joint practice & preseason opener. Eval mainly on depth today.
The beauty of the preseason in the NFL is that every team approaches it differently. In some games, the coaching staff wants to evaluate their starters and give them their first taste of live-game action since the prior season, which is what Brady and company did last week. Other games are used for evaluating depth and figuring out what the backend of the 53-man roster will look like.
After giving Allen and several other starters so much run time last week against the Panthers, folks were curious to see how Brady would handle the team’s joint practice against the Browns. Sure enough, the starters got a lot of work in once again, and that may have inadvertently led to his strategy for this preseason action changing.
Initially, it seemed like Allen and company would play in this game, but after getting some more good reps in earlier this week, the plan has changed. According to a report from insider Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Buffalo is now planning on resting the majority of its starters for this game, as it will instead focus on getting a closer look at its depth across the board.
“Josh Allen & most Bills starters will sit today vs. Browns, per source,” Wolfe reported in a post on X. “A few young starters may play. It’ll be Kyle Allen starting at QB for Bills today in preseason game 2. Bills got good work out of starters in joint practice & preseason opener. Eval mainly on depth today.”
Bills Looking to Push Preseason Record to 2-0
GettyBills Coach Joe Brady at training camp.
Wins and losses aren’t entirely important in the preseason, but it still is an indication of how your team performed. Guys on the roster bubble want to go out and put their best foot forward, so if they manage to contribute to a winning cause, even in a game that is ultimately meaningless, it could go a long way towards helping them secure a spot on the team.
Even with most of the starters sitting this one out, there are still going to be a handful of notable storylines to keep tabs on during this game. There will be more intrigue on the other side of the ball for the Browns as they continue to work on figuring out whether Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders will be their starting quarterback, but the Bills will likely use this game as a key data point when they eventually have to construct their 53-man roster.
Bills Make Important Decision on Browns’ Preseason Contest