Josh Allen playing status revealed for Bills' preseason opener

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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The Buffalo Bills are in a new era for superstar quarterback Josh Allen, as this will mark his first NFL preseason and season playing under a different coach.

Joe Brady took over after the team fired Sean McDermott, who had been coaching Allen ever since the team drafted him No. 7 in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, Brady isn't new to Allen or many of his teammates.

After McDermott's firing, Brady was promoted to head coach, having first been hired as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2022, then becoming offensive coordinator within several years.

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And based on early indications, he's planning to see what his starting quarterback and other key Bills players might show in their first preseason matchup this weekend.

"Right now, everybody that's healthy is going to be playing out there on Saturday," Brady told reporters at Thursday's practice.

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Quarterback Josh Allen throws during Buffalo Bills training camp

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Allen comes into the preseason after another failed attempt to reach the Super Bowl. Last season, he finished with a 65.4 QBR, seventh-best in the NFL, after throwing for 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns.

This season, those expectations continue for Allen to lead his team to the championship game. He's often talked about as the best QB in the league, if not in the top three, and the former NFL Most Valuable Player now has a new target on the field to throw to in former Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.

Buffalo will face the Carolina Panthers as part of their preseason slate, a team that Allen and the Bills destroyed last regular season, 40-9. While Allen threw for 163 yards and a touchdown, running back James Cook was the main difference-maker in that win, racking up 216 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

While Allen seems like he'll play in Saturday's game, it should be a short time on the field for the team's QB1, as they wouldn't want to risk serious injury to him or other top players on the roster. The Bills take on the Panthers on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 8 p.m. ET.

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