The Buffalo Bills have never been the featured team on the HBO show Hard Knocks, but they’re going to get plenty of air time in the third episode of this season which will debut early next week.
The cable giant is spending the summer in Berea, Ohio, as the Cleveland Browns, one of the worst teams in league history the past two years, try to change their story with the help of former Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.
The quest to emerge from the horror of a combined 1-31 record the past two seasons, including an 0-16 mark in 2017, continues Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium, and with Buffalo serving as the opponent, Sean McDermott’s team will be front and center, not only on the wildly popular show, but also live on national TV via NFL Network.
Given the access HBO is granted, it will be interesting to listen to the Browns players and coaches who will be wearing mics during the game. In particular, what might we hear from Taylor, who is expected to start and play into the second quarter? Also, what might the Browns say about their former teammate, wide receiver Corey Coleman, who was traded from Cleveland to Buffalo less than two weeks ago?
As preseason games go, this one certainly carries some intrigue, and not only the Taylor and Coleman connections, but also that Mayfield and Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the No. 7 overall pick, will be competing on the same field as they try to win starting jobs.
If that isn’t enough to grab your attention, here are five other things I’ll be looking for in this game which, in addition to NFL Network, will be shown on WROC-TV (Channel 8) in Rochester.
1. When, and how much will Josh Allen play?
he expectation is that A.J. McCarron, who almost went to the Browns last year in a trade deadline deal that was nixed due to a paperwork error, will be the Bills’ starter. McDermott hasn’t said that, but given that Nathan Peterman started the Carolina game, and he and McCarron have split most of the first-team reps in practice, starting McCarron makes sense.
What happens once McCarron is pulled is probably the bigger story, though, because it seems as if Allen would take the field next. He got his first extended reps with the second-team offense in practice this week, so you would figure that will continue in the game.
If I had to guess, Allen plays the middle two quarters, and then Peterman cleans up in the fourth. What would really make things interesting is McDermott letting Allen play a series with the first-team offense before he begins to sub them out. It’s what everyone wants to see, but it may not be part of “the process.”
2. Is Nick O’Leary playing himself off the team?
here has been quite a battle at tight end the entire camp as five players are vying for reserve spots behind Charles Clay. Nick O’Leary has been the backup for three years, but he’s got some serious competition, and right now, if I was making the call, he’s not making the team. Average blocker, low-impact pass catcher, was never really interested in sharing stories about his grandfather, Jack Nicklaus, so time to move on.
Logan Thomas and Jason Croom have both looked impressive in practice, and their athleticism at the position stands out. If offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is satisfied with how they block, a great unknown at this point, I think it would be hard to leave either off the team because they both possess so much potential as pass catchers and playmakers.
The other two players in the mix are Keith Towbridge and Khari Lee, the two best blockers among the position group, which would lead you to believe one of them might earn a spot just for those third-and-short or goal-line situations.
3. What’s up with Zay Jones?
Coleman returning to Cleveland isn’t the only compelling story in the wide receiver corps. Jones is expected to play after he shed the red no-contact jersey earlier in the week. It will be his first action since the playoff loss in Jacksonville, and Jones needs to start showing the Bills he was worth a second-round draft choice last year.
His struggles in his rookie year and then in the offseason have been well-documented, but the optics this week in practice were good. He looks fluid in his movements, he was busting it on every rep, catching the ball, and he brought some fire during one session when he got into a fight with Micah Hyde, which was uncharacteristic for both players.
If both Jones and Coleman can live up to their draft status, and you pair them with Kelvin Benjamin and Jeremy Kerley, all of a sudden, this position group doesn’t look as bad as we all thought.
4. Will Adolphus Washington step up?
Washington was drafted by Rex Ryan to be a nose tackle in his 3-4, but in the 4-3, his gap responsibilities are different. He started 10 games last season, the bulk of those coming after Marcell Dareus was traded, but despite playing 46 percent of the snaps, third-most among Bills’ linemen, he had only 22 tackles and one sack. Put up or shut up time.
5. When will the low draft picks shine?
irst-round picks Allen and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and third-rounder Harrison Phillips, all have guaranteed spots on the team, and Edmunds and Phillips are going to play big roles during the regular season. Maybe Allen will, too. However, the rest of the 2018 draft class has been underwhelming to this point.
Fourth-round pick Taron Johnson is battling to become the nickel cornerback, but his most notable play was getting beat for a TD in one-on-one coverage against Carolina; the first fifth-rounder, safety Siran Neal, has been invisible and has been with the third-string all summer; the second fifth-rounder, guard Wyatt Teller, has flashed occasionally, but he’s very much a work in progress and has been no threat to starters Vlad Ducasse or John Miller; Ray-Ray McCloud, the sixth-round receiver, has made a few plays but he’s no more than middle of the pack in a mundane WR group; and seventh-round wideout Austin Proehl looks overmatched at this level and a practice squad spot may be his ceiling.
These last three preseason games will be vital to everyone from the fourth round on because at this point, in my view the only two players that are 53-man-roster-worthy are Johnson and Teller.
MAIORANA@Gannett.com
