The Buffalo Bills start the preseason this week, and one major question has already been answered. Speaking with the media on Thursday morning, Bills head coach Joe Brady gave his decision on whether starters will see any playing time against the Carolina Panthers. When asked, Brady said that "everybody that’s healthy is going to be playing out there on Saturday." The key from that statement is "everybody that's healthy". For Buffalo, the list of starters dealing with injuries isn't insignificant. There were seven players not participating in Thursday's practice, with four being expected Week 1 starters. On the offensive side of the ball, running back Ty Johnson, rookie receiver Skyler Bell, and starting center Conor McGovern were non-participants. On defense, the list included cornerbacks Kani Walker and Maxwell Hairston and safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cole Bishop. Bishop, Gardner-Johnson, and Hairston are all expected to start against Houston in September. However, for Hairston, it's not a certainty. Second-round pick Davison Igbinosun has made it clear he wants to play. He'll now get an extended opportunity to show what he can do in Hairston's absence. On defense, both Geno Stone and Damar Hamlin are in line to start given the first depth chart. Both players are competing for a roster spot, making this game even more important than it would have been had they not started. One player who's for sure playing is Josh Allen, who's gone on the record saying he wants to play in the preseason. "I couldn’t tell you how long or how many drives or what’s the case there, but to get out there and get a good feeling and a good sense of the game and a good sense of the guys around me, I feel like that’s important to do," he said.
Brady didn't give an idea of how many players or series they'll go, but it would be hard to see it being more than one or two drives on either side. That said, he believes getting game action in the season is important for everyone on the team, not just the depth players, and that also means not playing at half speed. "I think that’s a message to the whole football team. … Like, this is NFL football," Brady said. "Guys are fighting for their lives and there’s a physicality. If you just dip your toe in, that’s when I think bad happens with that. So, if we’re out there going, we’re going."