The Bills are the current favorites to win the Super Bowl and it’s not an accident. They have the MVP at quarterback in Josh Allen and one of the best overall rosters in the league. There just aren’t many jobs up for grab right now and most of the camp battles are happening down the roster.
But one spot to watch over the next month heading into Week 1 is who will be the backup quarterback behind Allen going into the year? Mitchell Trubisky filled that role last year, but Mike White is an established veteran who won’t go away quietly. Trubisky is the favorite going into the year, but he has only started seven games since the 2021 season, and his overall play has been mediocre. And that's why there could be an opening here for someone like White to steal the job.
In a recent article by ESPN, they asked their 32 beat reporters to name the biggest training camp battle for each team after the first few weeks of practice. For the Bills, that position was backup quarterback. Here is a snippet of what Alaina Getzenberg had to say about the current battle behind Allen:
"General manager Brandon Beane expressed confidence in last season's backup, Mitchell Trubisky, at the start of camp, but he and Mike White have shared second-team reps in practice."Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN
It’s worth mentioning that Getzenberg also mentioned the CB2 battle that is going on in Buffalo, but the expectation is that Tre’Davious White will now win that job with Maxwell Hairston out with an injury. Buffalo will surely use a heavy rotation, but that job is now White’s to lose over the next month.
The truth is that neither Trubisky nor White is an exciting option, and if Allen were to go down for any length of time, the Bills would be in real trouble. However, Trubisky’s familiarity with the offense and his athleticism make him a better fit to be the backup at this time. But don’t rule out White, who is averaging 308 passing yards in games that he has started and finished during the course of his career.
White doesn’t have the athleticism or the playmaking ability of Trubisky, but he is a pocket passer who isn’t afraid to throw the ball down the field. And with White getting more and more second-team reps during practice, this is a battle that could be decided in the preseason.
The Bills are obviously hoping that neither Trubisky nor White has to play meaningful snaps at any point this season, but things happen in the league. Keep a close eye on this battle throughout the preseason as the two compete to win the No. 2 job behind the league’s most valuable player.