ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — During the first 11 days of Buffalo Bills training camp, we’ve noticed a common theme: shots downfield.
But will those plays stick around when the season begins in one month? It’s something quarterback Josh Allen wants to have in his back pocket.
“I think it's figuring out what we can and can't do, and understanding what guys are good at,” Allen said. “We're not going to go into the season emphasizing we need to push the ball downfield. We're going to push the ball if it's there, but definitely putting ourselves in positions where we can take those opportunities when they're there.”
When asked if it was an issue for the offense last season, Allen said it was and put most of the blame on himself.
“Honestly, a lot of it was to do with me and mechanically the ball where it was coming out and putting it in better spots for receivers to go make plays,” Allen explained. “But I think the more that we've thrown, the more comfortable we are and the more you can find out about how to throw those types of balls.”
I don’t want to oversell these deep shots as if they've been happening nonstop, but it truly feels like every day Allen has taken a few, with plenty turning into big completions. If defenses need to respect you down the field, other opportunities will open up, which is exactly what the Bills are hoping for.
Other observations from Thursday:
Starters will play:
Joe Brady said everyone healthy enough to play will play on Saturday in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. We don't know how much time the starters will get, but Brady said he wants his team to get comfortable inside their new home.
“Right now, everybody that's healthy is gonna be playing out there on Saturday,” Brady said. “Look, I want to see guys get hit. I want to see guys tackle. I want to see the finishing of the play and the how and all, so there's so many variables with it.”
Hockey Injury Report:
If you were hoping for some clarity with the Bills players who have been sidelined, you’ll likely be disappointed. Not because of the information given, but because there really isn’t much new information. All we can tell you is that Connor McGovern, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Cole Bishop, Maxwell Hairston, and Ty Johnson are all dealing with “lower body” injuries.
None of those five players practiced on Thursday, but Bishop and Hairston were spotted in the field house doing light work without pads.
Hoecht’s status for Saturday:
The Bills jack of all trades on defense is a game-time decision for Saturday. After a season-ending Achilles injury in November of 2025, Hoecht has targeted a Week 1 return in Houston to start the regular season. But during mandatory minicamp, his recovery appeared slightly ahead of schedule, making the preseason a possibility. Hoecht said he wants to play, but it may be smarter for the Bills to wait an extra few weeks.
“It's the balance of like, do you give yourself another week to, you know, heal versus how much tackle football do you want to go play before week one?” Hoecht said. “I mean the last tackle football game I played was November, so there's definitely a balance there. The good news is we have joint practice next week in Cleveland, and that's where all the starters kind of go against each other.”
Backup QB struggles:
The preseason will determine who wins the backup quarterback competition between Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele. But up to this point it’s been pretty sloppy. That continued on Thursday with back to back interceptions thrown by each quarterback.
