The Buffalo Bills will have some starters on the field when they close out the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, but quarterback Josh Allen will not be among them.
First-year head coach Joe Brady said Tuesday that Allen will sit out, though the Bills cannot afford to keep every starter on the sidelines.
“The reality of it is you can’t sit every starter,” Brady said. “We gotta go out and play a football game.”
Allen played in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on August 15, leading two scoring drives, before sitting out the Bills’ August 22 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Although Allen will not take the field against Pittsburgh, he will remain involved from the sideline. Brady joked that he may even allow the quarterback to call some plays during Thursday’s game.
“He’ll be right there with me [on the sideline],” Brady said. “Hopefully, I’ll let him call some plays, maybe, on Thursday. He wants it all the time.”
Several other roster spots and position battles remain unsettled, including the competition between backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele.
“You’re gonna see both of them on Thursday,” Brady said. “Both of them played really good football. I have such confidence calling the game with them.”
Buffalo and Pittsburgh are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
