Josh Allen says he doesn't need preseason action to prepare Bills for Week 1. Here's why
McDermott isn't willing to risk Super Bowl aspirations for a few snaps and, though he has yet to reveal his plan for the preseason finale Saturday in Tampa, it's unlikely to include Allen on the field.
Holding his whistle in case a Chicago Bears player got too close to his MVP quarterback, Sean McDermott stood several feet behind Josh Allen during their joint practice Friday at Halas Hall.
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady leads a drill during training camp practice.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
There were glaring mistakes from the Buffalo Bills’ starting offense, especially in their first snaps against the Bears’ defense, but McDermott saw enough progress in the joint practice to decide that he didn’t need to see Allen or most of his starters in their second game of the preseason.
McDermott would like to see Allen appear in a preseason game before the Bills’ Week 1 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. There have been injuries to his receiving corps during training camp, and he’s still developing chemistry with one of his newest weapons, Joshua Palmer. But McDermott isn’t willing to risk their Super Bowl aspirations for a few snaps and, though he has yet to reveal his plan for the preseason finale Saturday in Tampa, it’s unlikely to include Allen on the field.
“Yeah, I would love to if you could put him in a bubble that would guarantee me that he wasn’t gonna get hurt,” McDermott said.
Allen attempted just three passes in the first preseason game last August, six months before he was crowned the NFL’s most valuable player, and he wasn’t used in another game until Week 1. The offensive scheme is the same this season with Joe Brady back as the play-caller, and Allen doesn’t need to get to know anyone on his offensive line. They returned five starters up front, plus all three of their running backs and their top two tight ends.
There are better ways for Allen to prepare during training camp. The Bills don’t use preseason games to install schematic changes to their offense. It’s a thin playbook without the wrinkles that Brady has added in recent months. The vanilla approach is better for evaluating and developing young players than it is to game plan for regular-season opponents. Their approach to practices, including those in Pittsford or at One Bills Drive, present enough stressful situations for quarterbacks that Allen and his teammates get more out of those workouts than they would by playing 12-15 snaps against an opponent that’s missing several key players.
The joint practice was particularly useful because the plays Brady called were aimed at beating the scheme run by Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Even the Bills’ offensive line benefitted from the experience because Chicago’s defensive line rushed differently than what they’d been facing each day in practice since training camp began last month at St. John Fisher University.
“I think one of the perks of the way that we practice is different than places I’ve been,” Brady explained. “And I think that in itself gets you ready. Yeah, you’re not getting hit. Yeah, it’s a practice setting. So you might make a bad decision on third down or you might throw an interception or whatnot, and you get to live another play that you don’t get to win a game.
“But coach McDermott does a great job as we go through camp, we’re ramping up our reps per plays, we’re having to sustain drives. We’re getting a lot of game like reps in practice that you don’t necessarily feel in some places that I’ve been. And so that allows Josh to kind of really get rolling with it.”
These practices are where Allen experiments. He’ll attempt different throws at different arm angles to see how he can manipulate the defense. Injuries to the Bills’ receiving corps caused him to work with nearly every player in that position group, including undrafted rookie Stephen Gosnell, and the improvisation needed to throw to different types of pass catchers can help a quarterback when the games count.
This is the time for Allen to attack specific areas of his game that he wants to improve, including deep throws. After forcing a few passes early in the joint practice, Allen settled in and picked apart the Bears’ secondary.
There’s always film study and communication with every player on the offense, a collaborative process that helps them land on the plays or personnel groupings with which they are most comfortable. Brady has the final decision, but he includes the Bills’ starters in the process of trimming a large playbook into the system that will be used this season.
Through experience and hindsight, Allen knows what he needs to prepare for a 17-game regular season and playoffs. He’s seen little action in recent preseasons.
2024: 2 of 3 for 22 yards in one game.
2023: 12 of 17 for 113 yards in two games, the Bills’ second and third exhibitions.
2022: 3 of 3 for 45 yards and one touchdown in the second game.
2021: 20 of 26 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason finale against Green Bay.
2020: No NFL preseason because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
2019: 18 of 28 for 217 yards and 0 touchdowns in three games.
2018: 24 of 44 for 210 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
McDermott relies on Allen’s feedback to build a plan for the preseason. More time with healthy receivers is necessary, but they’re getting those opportunities in practice. Throwing mechanics also are an important area of focus for Allen. Chris Hess, owner of the movement analysis company Biometrik, worked with the Bills’ quarterbacks following practice Tuesday. Each of the four threw a variety of passes while surrounded by cameras that digitally mapped each throw. The data informs them of possible adjustments and reinforces the mechanics they’re executing properly. Through repetition, Allen develops the touch and feel that he needs.
The Bills’ strength and conditioning staff works out inactive players prior to preseason games, pushing the group through sprints and other cardio exercises to prepare them for the physical grind of an NFL game. Allen’s most recent comments suggested he’s likely to sit Saturday night against the Buccaneers, and he expressed confidence that he’s gotten enough out of the rest of training camp to be ready for the Ravens.
“I don’t think I need preseason reps,” Allen said last week. “If I were to get them, I’d appreciate them, but I don’t think it’s a situation where we need to get out there.”
Roster moves
The Bills released Caden Davis, clearing the way for Tyler Bass (pelvic soreness) to resume kicking as soon as Saturday night. The team also signed cornerback Zy Alexander, running back Elijah Young and offensive lineman Rush Reimer.Both players the team signed Tuesday, however, already have suffered injuries. Running back Jarveon Howard was designated as waived/injured after he got hurt in his first practice and wide receiver Grant DuBose had his shoulder wrapped while he was carted off the field at practice Wednesday.