Buffalo Bills: 3 things to look for from Kyle Allen in first preseason game
By Brandon Ray
The arrival of preseason for the Buffalo Bills starts tomorrow in Orchard Park as they host the Indianapolis Colts, who reportedly will start rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. It was confirmed this week by Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott that both Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs will not play in the team’s first preseason game.
While this should not be a total surprise, it might have been good to have at least one drive with the star players. However, the risk of injury to the two best offensive players on the Bills is out of the question now.
With Josh not playing on Saturday, this will leave the door open for Bills’ backups Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley to get the offensive reps behind center. Allen was signed by the Bills this past offseason in free agency to a one-year deal after spending the first five years of his career with Carolina, Washington, and Houston.
Barkley has also been a journeyman in the NFL and has spent time on both on the Bills’ active roster and the practice squad during his two different tenures with the Bills. If the trend that has occurred the last two seasons continues, expect Allen to be the backup and Barkley to be the emergency quarterback in case something comes up. However, this backup quarterback competition could get interesting if Allen does struggle throughout preseason.