Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - I was not able to watch the Buffalo Bills' second preseason game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh as it played out this past Saturday night. I was busy working the Buffalo Bisons game.
However, I did take a peek at Twitter (I will never call it "X") every now and then, and it was not a fun place to be. There was some freaking out going on over the course of the game.
If you were in that group, you just need to take a deep breath and calm down.
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I can't tell you the last time I began to worry about how a Bills season would play out based on what I saw during a preseason game. It has been quite some time.
What happened against the Steelers is no indication of what might occur starting on Sept. 11 when the Bills take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on "Monday Night Football".
If you were, or are concerned, I'm guessing it isn't about the result but more about how certain players, who will be starters, looked during this game. There were some players that had rough nights, and there are some competitions for spots that have not been settled, most notably at middle linebacker.
As far as concerns, we should start with the offensive line.
Both starting tackles had some issues against the Steelers' pass rush. Left tackle Dion Dawkins gave up a couple of pressures, while right tackle Spencer Brown got beat a couple times too, one of which resulted in a holding penalty.
I'm not worried about Dawkins, because I don't think this is any indication of his play beginning to slip. Brown, though, is another story.
The Bills publicly stated their faith in Brown during the offseason, and wrote off last year to his injury issues. But I think they should have put more of an emphasis on finding legitimate competition for Brown's starting job.
They did not, and I hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.
By the way, it sure looks like rookie O'Cyrus Torrence has locked up the starting right guard spot. He has started both games, and last year's starter, Ryan Bates, didn't get in at right guard until late in the second quarter with the second unit.
One bright spot on offense was rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid.
With Dawson Knox scratched due to a finger injury, Kincaid got more snaps than he did in the preseason opener. He showed off his strengths as a route runner by beating linebackers to get open in the middle of the field.
Kincaid also showed off his run after catch ability, ending his night with three catches for 45 yards.
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The wide receiver depth chart continues to be an intriguing story.
Through the first two games, it looks like Deonte Harty has earned himself the No. 3 spot behind Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Trent Sherfield looks like he is a solid fourth guy. Sherfield made a really nice catch in traffic in this game.
Second-year Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir had a very quiet night, and appears to be behind Harty and Sherfield.
Andy Isabella had a nice catch-and-run that totaled 18 yards, and he was the No. 1 guy on kick returns. However, I still think he is a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
Rookie Justin Shorter has likely shown enough to earn a spot, which means the Bills would have to keep seven receivers for Isabella to stick.
There were two starting spots available on defense going into the preseason. One remains open, while the other appears to have been settled.
As much as some Bills fans never seemed to warm up to Tremaine Edmunds, his departure opened up a big hole at middle linebacker. There is no clear answer at that all important position at this time.
Tyrel Dodson started and played the first two series with the ones, but then A.J. Klein came in and got the next two series with the starters. It looked like Dodson and Klein rotated after that with second and third stringers.
Neither player has stood out, and neither guy comes close to providing what Edmunds did in pass coverage. That is actually something worth worrying about.
The other competition has been playing out at No. 2 cornerback opposite Tre'Davious White.
The bad news is, Kaiir Elam has not been able to grab the job with his on-field performances. In fact, the Bills' first-round pick in 2022 appears to be third on the depth chart behind Dane Jackson and Christian Benford.
Elam got called for a pass interference in the end zone on Saturday (Benford was also flagged for pass interference in the game), and also gave up a touchdown on that same drive after the penalty.
This is certainly not what the Bills were expecting from him in Year 2.
In any event, one more exhibition game to go this Saturday before the real action begins.
