When the Buffalo Bills take the field this Saturday for their first preseason game, it will be a new start for a team that has been heavily criticized this offseason. They were put through the ringer with all of their losses on both sides of the ball. Even though it looks like the Bills lost a lot on paper, a lot of those pieces weren’t either on the field or were unproductive down the stretch last.
Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis disappeared once Joe Brady took over as the offensive coordinator, Tre’Davious White tore his achilles early on in the season, and both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were dealing with bumps and bruises throughout the season. While these players will be missed in some capacity, the Bills are better off.
While the roster looks different, there is a better energy coming out of training camp. As Buffalo’s first preseason game rapidly approaches, one specific area of this team that will be watched closely is the defense that is led by new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. The young rising play caller was promoted by the Bills this past offseason and we now know that Sean McDermott is going to put Babich in charge of the defense against the Bears.
McDermott confirmed that Josh Allen and the rest of the starters will play for roughly a quarter, according to Alaina Getzenberg. Putting the starters in is the right move for the Bills to allow any rust to be shaken off.
We have also learned that on the Bears’ side, head coach Matt Eberflus announced that the starters, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, will also be playing on Saturday. Long story short, it will be Caleb Williams vs. Josh Allen (for atleast a quarter).
Josh Allen and Caleb Williams will take the field for #Bills-#Bears this weekend. https://t.co/Hj23KzjWO3
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 8, 2024
Caleb Williams and the Bears’ starters is the perfect first test for Bobby Babich
The Bears rapidly improved their offense with various acquisitions like Williams, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and Keenan Allen. There is no doubt that Chicago looks significantly better. While we will not see them for more than a quarter, having them go up against the Bills’ defense is the perfect test for Babich.
As a first time defensive coordinator, Babich will be observed to see how he can contain multiple star players at the same time. Maybe it is a little unfair to evaluate Babich in this first preseason game since he will be taking on different levels of the Chicago offense. However, the Bears are no joke with their talent.
Buffalo’s defense has proven to compete with the talent that they take on. Hopefully the defense doesn’t crumble and Babich can show that he doesn’t need McDermott looking over his shoulder.