The Buffalo Bills will play their first preseason game of the year on Saturday, taking on the New York Giants. But they will be without their best player as Sean McDermott announced on Thursday that Josh Allen would not play in that contest.
Mitchell Trubisky will get the start instead as the Bills wisely want to limit Allen’s exposure in August.
This is nothing new for Allen, who has only sparingly played in the preseason throughout his NFL career. He made just one appearance last year, throwing three total passes in the preseason. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get some snaps in the preseason, likely against the Bears in Week 2 of the preseason. But even then, he is only likely to play a series if he’s on the field at all.
Bills announce Josh Allen won't play in Week 1 of preseason
Going into Year 8, Allen doesn’t need the reps in the preseason to prepare for the upcoming season. While it would be nice to shake off some of the first-game jitters, Allen has taken a lot of reps in training camp, and Bills fans can rest easy knowing that he’ll be ready for Week 1.
But there is another reason why Allen might not play a lot in the preseason despite most of the starters going on Saturday. The Bills have a backup quarterback battle brewing between Trubisky and Mike White. While the expectation is that Trubisky will win the job, White has had a lot of success in his short time in the NFL and isn’t afraid to throw the ball down the field.
Buffalo is obviously hoping that Trubisky or White never have to enter a meaningful game for them, but this is a great time to get the two other quarterbacks on the roster time with the first-team offense. Injuries happen all the time in the NFL and with a quarterback who plays the game in such a physical manner like Allen does, it’s nice to have a viable backup with plenty of experience.
Expect Trubisky to play the first quarter and more on Saturday, with White handling the rest of the snaps. This is an excellent opportunity for them to show that they could fill in for Allen if needed. And look for Allen to play at least one series next week before he and the rest of the offense turn their attention to Baltimore in Week 1.