The Buffalo Bills hit the grass of Soldier Field this evening for a preseason tilt against the Chicago Bears. Tonight’s matchup serves as the NFL’s featured primetime game of preseason Week 2 — a scrimmage against a perennial powerhouse in Buffalo and a team many see on the rise in Chicago.
Everyone understands that preseason football isn’t the most compelling drama produced by the NFL juggernaut machine each year. That said, tonight’s game should prove to be compelling must-watch TV for several reasons.
Here are few reasons to tune in, which include my riffs on a few courtesy of Cam Anzalone (tweet below)…
QB 2 should be Mitch Trubisky‘s job to lose
We don’t know yet if Mitch Trubisky gets the start, but could a more perfect opportunity await him against his former club? Some might argue that the battle for QB2 is up in the air. I see things otherwise. Though Mike White performed well backing up Trubisky in Week 1, this is Trubisky’s job to lose. Folks will point to stats and say they matter most, but it’s about the other things QB2 does that likely lands just as heavily with One Bills Drive. Plus, who can forget the summer Nathan Peterman played out of his mind?
I’m watching Trubisky’s pocket awareness this evening, and his ability to check down or expertly throw a would-be bad decision out of harm’s way. Let’s see if any bit of what once made Trubisky the second-overall pick shows up to illuminate Soldier Field this evening after giving us a bit of scrambling magic last weekend.
What’s up with Curtis Samuel?
Curtis Samuel is the player who most-interests me this evening. If he plays, of course — heck even if he doesn’t play. Samuel is in it right now, once-again injured. He’s missed almost all of training camp, be it St. John Fisher University or back at One Bills Drive. Head coach Sean McDermott essentially put Samuel on notice, and no outside of the team is certain of his role in 2025.
Bills reporter Sal Capaccio noted that most starters were out on the field with athletic trainers, which he said is usually indicative of someone not playing. Samuel was among those players. But it could be argued that, if healthy enough, Samuel should play. If he’s still too injured to suit up, there may be bigger concerns to tackle. I see Samuel as the player with the most to lose in the next 10 days.
I take a deeper dive into Samuel’s situation Monday morning here at Buffalo Rumblings.
Paging: Elijah Moore
A phenom early, Moore has all but disappeared in recent weeks. That includes his work in Week 1 of the preseason. There’s a ton of potential with Moore, and he has a perfect opportunity to seize the moment in the face of a decimated wide receivers room.
Unlike Cam, I don’t see Moore’s roster spot hanging in the balance unless there’s a far better option waiting in the wings. But what about Shavers… or waivers?
Stacking wins on wins at DT
This is about the new blood, mostly. It’s true that we could stand to see more out of Buffalo’s incumbent DT Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones, but we aren’t sure they even suit up. Instead, I’ll be focused in on the rookies (T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker) and Larry Ogunjobi.
The latter of those three is set to miss the first six weeks of the season while suspended, so it’s going to be important for him to leave a positive impression on his position coaches and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. Cam Anzalone feels similarly about defensive end Michael Hoect, who has the same suspension looming.
As for the rookies, it’s really about seeing them stack plays while looking competent in routine situations. We’ve seen the splash plays already, but they need to “wow” in typical moments too.
The time is now, Bills safeties
This is a “when and with whom” Bruce Nolan moment. Publishing this before knowing if starters play makes for a challenging bit of editorial on my part. That said, if starters do get the nod: Who’s back there with Taylor Rapp — is it actually Cole Bishop or Damar Hamlin? Bishop needs the reps, especially with Hamlin having proven capable regardless of what many Bills fans say.
At this point, there’s not a lot more to be said about Bishop. We simply haven’t seen enough, and McDermott admitted that time is getting short for the 2024 second-round pick. Did he mean just this season, or beyond? In good news, Bishop did return to practice in full this past week.
Hello Edmunds, our old friend
A one-time feather in general manager Brandon Beane’s cap, Edmunds left for greener (and real grass) lawns when he signed with Chicago in free agency. Edmunds may represent one of the most polarizing players from Buffalo’s current tenure, but he doesn’t lack talent. He did lack in splash plays for such a highly drafted player, and Bills Mafia focused in on him nearly as often as they did Josh Allen.
What does Edmunds do this evening against his former team? It may only be preseason, but tonight will mean a bit more to Edmunds in ways similar to Trubisky. I expect Edmunds to be pumped-up, and ready to impress this evening. Yes, even in preseason.
