Bills quarterback Josh Allen works on his pre-game handshake with teammate Mike White during Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Pittsford. Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sean McDermott reveals plan to decide Bills' first-team status for Preseason Week 2

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI | By Owen Klein | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 12:37 PM ET

Buffalo Bills ' head coach Sean McDermott played a fair number of starters in the first preseason game of 2025, especially on defense, but with a long injury list, he has to push the right buttons to make it to Week 1 with as many healthy bodies as possible.

Before Friday's joint practice against the Chicago Bears, the Bills' opponent on Sunday, McDermott said he wants to take it slow, and it begins with Friday's session.

"Just as it relates to today and then play time overall, I would just tell you we gotta get through this practice," McDermott said. "Go back to the hotel and go through the injury report and then reset the table for the game on Sunday night."

"It's usually about this time where guys get tired of beating on each other, and sometimes with that either fights break out or the intensity dips a little bit," McDermott said about the atmosphere of the practice, which will impact how much playing time these players will get.

McDermott left the door open for reps for the reigning NFL MVP, quarterback Josh Allen, but it remains to be seen who will get playing time and how much.

Regardless of who plays and who doesn't, the entire country will get to see what McDermott has in mind in Sunday's nationally televised game in the Windy City.