Joe Brady's Prudent Choice Sitting Bills' Key Veterans vs. Browns in Delayed Game

Buffalo Bills' first-year head coach Joe Brady apparently saw enough during Thursday's joint practice on the road against the Cleveland Browns.

After the Bills' first-teamers made their presence felt on the practice field, a number of the veteran starters are watching the August 22 preseason game from the sideline.

"I told the team, I want to see how today's practice goes. Ideal world, a lot of the 1s would, hey, we get a great day's practice today, and we kind of go from there and I feel like they got the work they needed," said Brady prior to the August 20 joint session.

Franchise quarterback Josh Allen, who started the August 15 preseason opener by engineering back-to-back scoring drives, isn't getting any snaps against the Browns on Saturday in Cleveland. The five-time NFL MVP finalist looked fabulous spinning the football around the yard on Thursday by multiple accounts.

The Bills also held out offensive line starters left tackle Dion Dawkins, right tackle Spencer Brown, right guard O'Cyrus Torrence and center Connor McGovern, who has been out since August 8 due to injury. Notably, veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry, who started in place of McGovern last week, was also given the day off.

Buffalo tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid along with RB1 James Cook and WR1 DJ Moore remained on the sideline when the starting offense took the field.

Running back Ray Davis earned the start and opened the game with an eight-yard gain.

After four snaps, the game was delayed due to lightning in the area. Only 1:49 came off the first-quarter clock prior to referee Bill Vinovich sending both teams to the locker room.

Prior to the Bills' pregame warmups, multiple first-team defensive players were seen working out. That routine usually signals that those men won't see game action. Cornerback Christian Benford, safety Cole Bishop, edge rusher Greg Rousseau, nose tackle Deone Walker and edge rusher Michael Hoecht were in that group.

Injured Bills' pregame activity

Wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Skyler Bell and Dante Pettis are all dealing with undisclosed lower body injuries, although none appear to be severe.

All three wide receivers went through on-field work with trainers prior to Saturday's game. The aforementioned McGovern and fifth-round rookie safety Jalon Kilgore were also involved. Veteran safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was spotted on a stationary bicycle.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson — Bills injured defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson keeps loose on a bike during day five of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in Pittsford. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Staring offensive line

The Bills gave Alec Anderson the start at left guard as he battles against veteran Austin Corbett for first-team status.

Meanwhile, the rest of the starting line was comprised entirely of reserves with left tackle Tylan Grable, center Sedrick Van Pran Granger, rookie right guard Armaj Reed-Adams and fourth-round right tackle Jude Bowry.

QB situation vs. Browns

With Kyle Allen getting the start, Shane Buechele is most likely set to play the second half as the Bills attempt to identify the best backup option.

The good news is that Josh Allen will get to spend the day with a clipboard. There's simply no benefit to exposing the franchise field general in a road exhibition. Had the game been at home, one could argue that Allen should take the opportunity to continue to become acclimated in the new stadium.

Bills QBs — The Bills' Josh Allen, Kyle Allen and staff joke around with Shane Buechele after practice at Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Whatever Coach asks me to do. Obviously, whether I play or not, I'm going to be happy with the decision," said the five-time NFL MVP finalist Allen. "If I don't [play], I get to cheer on my guys, Kyle and Shane, going out there. Trying to be the best teammate I can be and give them anything that I can to help them out."

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

Add us as a preferred source on Google