Is Bills' Decision to Start Josh Allen in Preseason Smart?

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott surprised fans of the organization with the announcement that All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen would play, along with the starters during the team's first preseason game on Saturday.

Allen did not play in the team's first two preseason games last year, but with the structure of training camp and the preseason games changing, the Bills have decided on a new action plan.

“Play-time wise, I know that’s what you’re looking for, the ones will play,” McDermott said Thursday. “They’ll play roughly a quarter, give or take. It’s really, to me, it’s getting them ramped up and ready to go for the season.

“It’s an important step, hard to simulate the speed of the game, and so getting that in preseason is important. Going through warmups and the energy that comes with playing a game in front of fans and being able to manage that, so there’s a lot of reasons for it.”

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Allen and the starters getting starting time in the preseason could be in large part due to the transformative changes made by the offensive side of the ball.

With Stefon Diggs gone from the team, and a new cast of receivers working together, the Bills need all the reps they can get at this point.