These Bills position battles could steal the show in preseason opener

ORCHARD PARK - When the Buffalo Bills play host to the Carolina Panthers in Saturday afternoon’s preseason opener at Highmark Stadium, Joe Brady intends to play all of his healthy starters for at least a little bit, and that includes quarterback Josh Allen.

“Everybody that's healthy is going to be playing out there on Saturday,” Brady confirmed Thursday before the Bills’ practice. “I want to see guys get hit, I want to see guys tackle, I want to see the finishing of the play and all of this. There’s so many variables with it. We obviously have a new everything, right, so it's our first opportunity for us to come together and show an example of what the Buffalo Bills are about, too, so I think that's important.”

There’s a good chance that this will be the only game action Allen and some of the front-line players get in the three exhibition games, and it’s appropriate that it will happen in the first game played at the shiny and now slightly controversial new stadium.

Of course, it’s always a risk to play the starting QB, especially someone like Allen whose competitive juices are tough to turn off, but Brady thinks his superstar will handle it fine.

“There's only one way that he plays and I think that's a message to the whole football team,” Brady said. “I would hope that he is mindful (that it’s the preseason). I want him to be competitive and be Josh Allen, and I hope that everybody else kind of embraces that same mindset and makeup and let's go play some football.”

The Bills and Browns will get good practice work against each other next week which will likely mean none of the starters will be in the game they will play next Saturday in Cleveland. And typically, the third preseason game - which is Thursday, Aug. 27 against the Steelers - is reserved for backups to determine the middle and bottom of the roster.

Here are some competitions to be watching in the game:

This has been a theme since the start of the offseason program and it has only intensified through the first couple weeks of training camp. In Jim Leonhard’s defense, everyone up front is playing a slightly different position than they did previously, so the puzzle is still a jumbled mess on the kitchen table with Leonhard and Brady and the other defensive coaches trying to fit the pieces together.

“I don't think it's like, ‘Hey, D-line is the most important that we're going to be evaluating; it's an opportunity for everybody,” Brady said. “But there is going to be a lot that comes with it. We go to practice and you see guys come off blocks and then they celebrate. Well, I want to see these guys be able to actually finish. Can they finish tackling?

“And from the D-line perspective, how they play with technique and then actually finish on the ball and those type of things. All of them are going to play and kind of roll and I'm excited to be able to see a lot of the guys still playing a lot of different techniques, but that's part of the challenge of the scheme and seeing these guys kind of rise to it.”

Ed Oliver, TJ Sanders and Deone Walker are the presumptive starters, but that could certainly change. Landon Jackson has flashed throughout camp as he’s returning to a more familiar position on the defensive line and he is pressing Sanders for a starting role.

If he continues to ascend, it’s possible he could end up being the starter and play the early downs, then come off the field in passing situations because Sanders is the better pass rusher.

“He's gaining confidence and you see the physicality come out,” Leonhard said of Jackson, the 2025 third-round pick whose rookie season was ruined by a knee injury. “He's doing a great job. It's not a role that he was unfamiliar with, it was something that he did a significant amount in college. And the more he learned about what his role was going to be, I think he was like this could be really good for me.”

The other really interesting battle is between DeWayne Carter and Phidarian Mathis as the backup nose tackle behind Walker. Both players have gotten reps with the first unit, and the games are going to decide the outcome.

“I'm impressed with his athleticism for that size,” Leonhard said of Mathis. “He's big, he's powerful but he's a really good athlete. He's got good feet, great practice habits, he runs to the football consistently day in and day out. Not all big guys do.”

Neither Kyle Allen nor Shane Buechele is wowing the socks off anyone in practice and it’s a consistent reminder that the Bills have taken a step back in this potentially key spot after losing Mitch Trubisky in free agency.

Allen was signed as a free agent while Buechele has been on Buffalo’s practice squad for three years, but Allen certainly hasn’t separated himself in any way from Buechele. It seems like it’s an actual competition to get a game day jersey behind Josh Allen.

“Games are always important, right?,” Brady said. “You want gamers, but you want to see guys that rise to occasions and I think backup quarterback is such a hard position to play in in general. You get no reps and then you got to go and play.

“There is going to be ups and downs and flows with it, but two guys that I think are extremely competitive that if need be, they don't blink. I feel comfortable being able to call a game with them. Obviously we know we have Josh Allen and so there is something that comes with that, but I’m excited to let them go and kind of spin the football and play a little bit this weekend.”

The first preseason game is always a milestone for rookies, so it’s a big day for players like linebacker TJ Parker, cornerback Davison Igbinosun and the rest.

Parker is competing at a crowded position that features veterans Bradley Chubb, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht and Mike Danna, and just because he was a second-round pick, he’s not going to be just handed a game jersey. He needs to show something in a live setting.

Igbinosun has a great opportunity because presumptive starter Maxwell Hairston is once again dealing with an injury and has missed a week of practice and won’t play. Igbinosun has gotten the bulk of the first-team reps and it hasn’t always been pretty. Buffalo’s lack of veteran depth at cornerback is concerning and if Igbinosun struggles, the Bills may need to check the open market for insurance.

Jude Bowry is in a tight battle with Tylan Grable - who left practice early Thursday - to become the third, or swing, offensive tackle behind starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. Bowry has brought an obvious edge and nastiness which is good to see.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr is having, without question, the best training camp of the draft picks and he seems to be making a serious push to unseat Dorian Williams as a starter. Also, defensive back Jalon Kilgore has looked good at safety, while defensive tackle Zane Durant has had a pretty quiet camp and needs to step up.

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: These Bills position battles could steal the show in preseason opener