Will Josh Allen, Bills Starters Play in Preseason Week 3 vs. Steelers?

The Buffalo Bills' last preseason game is finally upon us and it will feature the Bills hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at the new Highmark Stadium on Thursday night.

Once this game is in the books for Buffalo, head coach Joe Brady and general manager Brandon Beane will turn their focus to cutdown day, when the team will trim its roster down to 53.

Thursday's game amounts to the final chance players who are on the roster bubble get to show their stuff and prove they belong on the 53-man roster, or if all else fails, the practice squad.

But will we see Josh Allen and the Bills' starters get some work in against the Steelers? Here's what we know.

Will Josh Allen, Bills starters play in preseason Week 3?

Head coach Joe Brady revealed that some starters will in fact play in the third preseason contest against Pittsburgh, but Josh Allen will not be one of them.

"The reality of it is you can't sit every starter. We gotta go out and play a football game," Brady said on Tuesday morning.

"Josh will not be playing Thursday," Brady added.

There you have it: Allen is officially done in exhibition play, which is one less thing to worry about because he won't be at risk of injury before Week 1.

Aug 22, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Bills at Huntington Bank Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Allen's preseason ends with his going 6-of-8 for 111 yards and one touchdown in the lone preseason game he appeared in against the Carolina Panthers.

As far as what Allen is going to do, Brady said the superstar signal-caller is going to be right there on the sideline with him and could call some plays.

"He'll be right there with me [on the sideline]," he said. "Hopefully, I'll let him call some plays, maybe, on Thursday. He wants it all the time."

Allen isn't so sure that's going to happen, though.

"We'll see. He talks a big game. He's promised me that the last few years, and it hasn't happened yet, so we'll see," said Allen.

Which starters are playing?

Brady did not say specifically who would and wouldn't be playing out of his starters, so we'll have to wait for a list from beat writers, which will likely come right before kickoff.

Of course, we would not expect to see any established starters, but we will probably see players who are competing for jobs that haven't been settled in both starting and backup spots.

For one, injured starting center Connor McGovern won't play, and backup Lloyd Cushenberry is likely to be inactive, too.

The Bills and Steelers will kick off from the New Highmark Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

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