1. NFL analyst Bucky Brooks says this player will make the Bills offense go
NFL analyst Bucky Brooks’ ears perked up when he heard Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff say that he wants to make Julio Jones the highest paid wide receiver in the league. This caused him to look at all 32 NFL teams and determine who makes each offense "go" like Jones and the Falcons.
For Buffalo, the answer comes with little surprise.
Buffalo Bills: Quarterback Josh Allen
It didn't take long for the Bills' young QB1 to become the driving force of the offense. Allen surprised many folks in Year 1 as an explosive dual-threat with dynamic playmaking ability. The rookie led all NFL quarterbacks with eight rushing scores and his 631 rushing yards ranked second (behind only Lamar Jackson).
With many new pieces surrounding Allen this season it will be interesting to see if he still holds the key at the end of the season. Maybe it will be a wide receiver like John Brown or Cole Beasley, or maybe it will be center Mitch Morse.
Allen currently controls the offense and his ability to run or pass on every down makes him the best weapon the Bills have on the team and the reason the offense will "go" this year.
2. Cole Beasley: We need to help Josh Allen
The Bills offensive success will ride on the chemistry Josh Allen has with his receivers. Allen has some new pieces to work with this season, including Cole Beasley in the slot. During the first game of the preseason Allen was praised for taking what the defense gave him, instead of trying to air it out all the time.
"He's done a great job," Beasley said. "He's got all the tools to be a great quarterback, we just got to do our best to help him. It's getting open, being quarterback friendly, not messing around in our routes. Give him a target and he'll find us there."
Beasley expanded on being quarterback friendly. He doesn't want himself or others on the team to mess around with predetermined routes as much.
"He'll start second guessing everything," Beasley said. "We want that pressure on us as a wideout group. We just got to be there for him and be in the spots that he expects us to be."
3. B/R handed out these grades to Bills rookies after the first preseason game
Bills rookies got their first taste of the NFL on Thursday. Buffalo ended up victorious against the Indianapolis Colts and two rookies earned solid grades from Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon for their performance.
First-round pick Ed Oliver earned a B+.
The No. 9 overall pick out of Houston had his hands full with Colts star guard Quenton Nelson, but he routinely hung in with the reigning All-Pro, flashing big-man strength on several occasions. At other times, Nelson got the best of Oliver, who was held off the stat sheet.
"It was a chance for him to get his feet wet," head coach Sean McDermott said. "It was a step in the right direction and it's where he goes from here that matters."
Third-round pick Devin Singletary received an A.
To be clear, a heavy dose of Singletary in the first half of the team's first preseason game doesn't mean he'll be the focal point of the Buffalo offense. But it's a great sign that he had an impressive 10-yard catch in the red zone, and he ran the ball damn hard, as well.
Singletary will certainly have to earn his carries behind LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore but he's shown he can produce after accumulating 4,200 yard and 67 touchdowns in college.
He had 48 yards on 12 touches in his first game.
