A full slate of preseason football kicks off on Thursday night. While the Buffalo Bills will wait until Saturday to take the field against the New York Giants, they made it very clear that Josh Allen will not be joining the rest of the team between the hashmarks. This makes sense for many reasons, specifically that Allen is the reigning NFL MVP and should be treated with kid gloves until Week 1. Any injury to Allen would likely end the Bills season before it even began.
Allen's absence provides an opportunity for other quarterbacks on the depth chart, especially those fighting for a roster spot. Mitch Trubisky is likely safe for now, as the veteran and former first-round pick knows the Bills offense well and is valued as a leader in the locker room. If Allen were to miss time for any reason this regular season, Trubisky would get the first reps. However, the battle between Mike White and Shane Buechele is far more intriguing.
Why isn't Josh Allen playing in the Bills first preseason game?
Allen doesn't have an injury of any kind, but he's putting in the work at Bills training camp. Bills fans can give Allen the benefit of the doubt, as he's put in preseason reps before. There is a non-zero chance Allen will suit up at some point this preseason in Orchard Park, but if the Bills don't believe he's ready to go – or that Allen playing at full speed isn't worth the injury risk – we cannot blame them.
In his steed, the Bills are expected to start backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who will take most of the early reps before giving way to Mike White and Shane Buechele.
Shane Buechele gets the lifeline he desperately needs in Buffalo
Buechele, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, has experience backing up big-name quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes. As recently as 2023, the Chiefs believed Buechele could've been the next in a long line of successful Mahomes backups, which includes Chad Henne and Carson Wentz. Unfortunately, injuries got in the way for Buechele, and he spent the majority of last season injured. Buechele suffered a neck injury in the preseason for Buffalo.
Now, he will get another opportunity to prove himself and perhaps make a run at the QB3 spot. It's not much, but preseason action against opposing NFL defenses can make or break a battle this far down on the depth chart. White has starting experience in the NFL, so unseating him will not be easy.
The Bills are unlikely to carry four quarterbacks to start the season. That means one of White or Buechele will be the odd man out, barring a complete collapse from Trubisky or an injury. If Buechele plays well enough to prove why the Bills brought him in in the first place, then perhaps he can make the active roster or, at worst, cement a spot on the practice squad.