Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills will open their preseason schedule on Saturday in Orchard Park against the Chicago Bears.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen says he hasn’t been told yet if he’s playing at all in the preseason. He has mixed feelings about if he wants to play or not.
"It doesn’t really make a difference for me at this point of my career, so to get things rolling would be nice. But I understand not getting out there, making sure we’re being healthy and being protective. So it’s a double edged sword, any way you look at it," said Allen following Wednesday's practice at training camp in the Rochester area. "If I’m asked to play, I’ll play. If I’m told not to play, I won’t play.
"The competitive juices in me want to play, but I understand that Week 1, we’ve still got some time."
Allen gets a lot of reps in practice, and it’s giving him a very good chance to get in sync with his receivers and offensive line. He knows that kind of work is invaluable.
"It’s eerily similar [as a game], and having the red jersey and knowing guys aren’t supposed to hit you. You can go through your reads at a quick pace, but understanding that the whistle will be blown at some point, that’s the good side of it," Allen said. "But getting hit is part of the game, and you can practice how you get hit, the way that you land, the way you fall, the way you take on hits. It's something that can be practiced and learned.
"The first couple of weeks throughout the season, you’re waking up after a game and your neck and your body is sorer than you’ve ever felt it because of the amount of times that you’ve gotten hit."
Zach Davidson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft. In September of 2022, the Bills inked the tight end to their practice squad. In January of 2023, he signed a Reserve/Future contract, but then went on Injured Reserve in June of the same year due to a knee injury.
Davidson has made a huge impression during camp, catching just about everything that’s thrown his way. He’s 6-foot-7, and Allen thinks he’s doing the necessary things to help him make this team.
"He’s been making plays, he’s been popping on film. Whatever way you look at it, he’s making [Brandon] Beane’s decisions very difficult," the seventh-year quarterback said. "He’s done enough where guys in every room are like, 'He’s out there making plays because he’s a 6-foot-7 guy that can move and go up and catch the ball.' And another guy that’s running to the football after the play, getting the extra block and doing things the right way. You’d love to have those types of guys on your team."
Meanwhile, Allen knows that offensive coordinator Joe Brady makes this his offense.
"That’s a lot of trust that he has in me, and I have a lot of trust in him," Allen said of his new full-time offensive coordinator. "The OC/quarterback relationship is so crucial for a team that you have to be able to lean on each other through the good and the bad, and understand what we’re thinking at all times.
"The dialog we have has to be completely open, and it has to be without fear. I think that we have that."
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Allen has also remarked how this team is different than other Bills teams he’s had.
"The guys that we have in this locker room are very smart and tough. I applaud Beane for bringing in the guys that we have, because guys are going out there and we work hard," Allen said. "But at the end of the day, we’re hanging out in the dorms, we’re playing video games, we’re playing board games, guys are going out to eat with each other. It really is a family-like atmosphere, and I think there’s a different vibe at this point with this team. I think it’s a really good thing."
Connor McGovern recently talked about how the snaps between him and Allen have gotten much better. Allen agrees with his new center.
"Everybody has their own technique snapping the ball. Some guys are left-center-right, some guys pull it when they’re moving left or moving right. It’s just understanding the play call, and going under there and adjusting accordingly," Allen said. "It’s a small thing, but it’s probably the biggest thing on each play is making sure you receive the ball correctly."
On a more fun note, Allen is now sporting a mustache, which he claims wasn’t his idea.
"Whatever my center asks me to do, I’m going to try to do," Allen explained. [McGovern] and Dave Edwards are going 'stache only, so they asked me to join them. So I did."
The final day of training camp at St. John Fisher University is Thursday morning starting at 9:45 a.m. ET.
