Bills’ Josh Allen Starters Play 1 Quarter Against Bears’ Caleb Williams in Preseason | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that Josh Allen and the rest of the team’s starters will play about a quarter of the game during Saturday’s pre-season against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

“It’s really, for me, getting them pumped up and ready for the season,” McDermott explained, according to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “It’s an important step, it’s hard to simulate the speed of the game and so it’s important to get that in preseason, through the warm-up and the energy that comes with playing a game in front of fans, and being able to manage that.”

McDermott wants to make sure Allen and the Bills’ starting unit shed any rust ahead of the season, following a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2023.

Allen has played in just four preseason games over the past three years, but he could see more action in 2024 after Buffalo’s offense underwent some offseason changes.

Wide receiver Gabe Davis joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent, while four-time Pro Bowl wideout Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans on April 3. The Bills added former Washington Commander Curtis Samuel as a free agent and Florida State star Keon Coleman in the draft to replace their longtime mainstays.

While Allen will play against the Bears, McDermott declined to comment on the quarterback’s playing time in future preseason games.

“We’re just taking it week by week,” McDermott said, per Getzenberg. “So, you know, there’s some new faces in our offense as well, including his receiving corps and so some of that’s been factored into this. But the biggest thing is we’ve got to get ourselves individually ready to go and go from there.”

Allen is coming off a solid 2023 campaign, despite throwing a career-high 18 interceptions. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 4,306 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding 524 yards and 15 more scores on the ground.

With Caleb Williams reportedly set to play his first preseason snaps, Saturday’s showdown will likely consist of a short quarterback battle between the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET.