Buffalo Bills: What to Watch For Preseason Week 3
By Daniel Hahn
The Bills wide receiver group has been in a constant flux this offseason. If Tyrod Taylor was going to have success this year, it was going to be because of consistency from his receivers and less injuries than last year.
Well the injuries haven’t been too major yet, but the Bills front office is keeping Taylor on his toes. Since 2017 we can say goodbye to Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Marquise Goodwin. We said Hello and Good Bye to Anquan Boldin. Now Taylor is looking to enter the 2018 season throwing to Jordan Matthews, Andre Holmes, Zay Jones, Philly Brown, Dakiell Shorts, Brandon Reilly, Brandon Tate, Walter Powell (suspended), and Rod Streater (injured).
This 2018 group won’t make the top 20 WR groups on any pre-season rankings. That being said, this week we are going to see what the Bills actually have to work with. Jordan Matthews may not play this week, but that doesn’t matter.
Taylor has this week to put together sustainable drives using Holmes, Jones, and the rest of the bunch. This group doesn’t need to set receiving records. They do need to be respectable enough to give McCoy a break from carrying the offense.
Andre Holmes was a star in spring, but hasn’t flashed much during training camp. I expect Holmes to get a lot of run with the 1st team this week, but he will be pushed by Brandon Reilly who has flashed when he’s seen the field in games. Reilly could be the 3rd down possession receiver that Boldin was supposed to be.
If Holmes can’t show chemistry this week with Taylor, I still believe he is a prime candidate to be traded or cut. The fact that he could provide the Bills with a compensatory draft pick hurts his chances.
Reilly and Shorts have looked well in their time with both backup quarterbacks. I will be interested to see if they can get in a little playing time with the 1st team offense just to see if they can produce just the same. If they both make the team, look for Holmes/Streater(IR)/Powell to be elsewhere.
In the previous section we talked about possible trades solving problems. Wide Receiver is definitely a position where quality players will be available from teams around the league
Next: Nathan Peterman is Mr. ‘Not So Cool’ Under Pressure
What are you looking for during the entire Buffalo Bills week 3 of preseason?