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Buffalo Sports News

Buffalo Bills Storylines To Watch In Preseason vs. Chicago Bears

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Bills preseason

The Buffalo Bills kick off their preseason schedule Saturday afternoon when No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears visit Highmark Stadium.

This year’s exhibition slate takes on far more importance than any in recent memory for the Bills. A sizable roster overhaul in the offseason has left a lot of places on the depth chart up for grabs, especially at wide receiver and in the secondary.

Add in the fact a lot of starters are expected to play for both Buffalo and Chicago, including Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and it should be a more entertaining preseason game than normal in Western New York on Saturday.

Bills Storylines For Saturday’s Preseason Game vs. Bears

First Look At Buffalo’s New First-Unit Offense

Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans, and Davis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. That leaves an eye-popping 241 targets up for grabs. Filling that gap is one of the biggest keys to the Bills season.

So far, it appears four wide receivers are a step above the rest: Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, and rookie Keon Coleman. The connection between Allen and Coleman has stood out throughout training camp, but now the question is whether it’ll translate to live action.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott commented on the WR group Thursday. “I like where the unselfishness is for that position,” McDermott told reporters.

Whether that comment was directed at Diggs or not is unclear, but it’ll certainly be interpreted that way. Regardless, Buffalo will also feature more of a rotation at the position this season. No single player will be expected to fill the role of Diggs or Davis alone.

That’s probably a good thing. It gives offensive coordinator Joe Brady more flexibility in his play-calling, and that should start to show itself against the Bears.

Bills Offensive Line Concerns Growing?

Perhaps the most underrated departure of the offseason was center Mitch Morse. He spent the past five years working with Allen and leading the offensive line. The Bills are trying to shift Connor McGovern to center, which has been met with mixed results.

McGovern and Allen have dealt with consistent snap issues throughout camp, both under center and in the shotgun, but there have been signs of improvement as of late. The newly minted center said Monday they’re “starting to click.” “It’s going really well right now,” McGovern said. “Mitch would tend to snap it to his left. That’s how Josh was used to it. This whole offseason, we’ve been working.”

While the center-quarterback exchange is key, left guard David Edwards and right tackle Spencer Brown have also struggled at times. It’s led to questions about whether the Bills will be able to protect Allen this season. The Bills have so far stuck with their projected starting five—left tackle Dion Dawkins and right guard O’Cyrus Torrence being the other starters—but it wouldn’t be a shock to see things get shaken up a bit if there are major issues against Chicago.

Both Safety Jobs Up For Grabs

Safety was already a position of concern heading into camp. Then the injury bug hit. Mike Edwards (hamstring) and rookie Cole Bishop (shoulder) are both week-to-week. It’s created a wide-open race to start Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Taylor Rapp is a virtual lock to start, but he endured an up-and-down first season in Buffalo last year. Damar Hamlin is also likely to play with the ones on Saturday, as he appears destined for his most expansive playing time since 2022.

Kareem Jackson, Cam Lewis, Kendall Williamson, and Terrell Burgess are also part of the competition. Given the up-in-the-air status of the safety battle, a standout preseason from any of the aforementioned names could land them a surprise Week 1 start. It’s also worth noting Micah Hyde remains a free agent after spending the summer contemplating his football future. The longtime Bills starter may become an option if the position battle doesn’t sort itself out in the coming weeks.

The Bills and Bears are set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday in Orchard Park.

Main Image: Shawn Dowd – USA Today Sports

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