4 Things Bills Fans Need to Watch for in First Exhibition Game Against the Bears

Just as quickly as training camp started for the Buffalo Bills, it has come to an end just as quickly. The Bills wrapped up their final training camp at St. John Fisher University on Thursday morning. Now that the team is leaving Rochester and heading back to Orchard Park, they are ready to play their first game of the season as they take on the Chicago Bears and officially enter the preseason. Head coach Sean McDermott announced that the starters, including Josh Allen, will play for about a quarter or so. With that, there are plenty of things for fans to keep an eye on, but these are a few storylines that the Bills Mafia will want to keep a close eye on.

The Buffalo Bills decided to make a smaller youth move this offseason. That included an overhaul of their receiver room, which has been a staple the past few seasons. With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis out, the much-hyped early-round rookie Keon Coleman and the electric Curtis Samuel are in.

For Allen, there’s only one guy returning from his old receiving core, and that’s Khalil Shakir. He exploded at the end last season and was the Bills’ most productive receiver during that same stretch and in the playoffs. With guys like Mack Hollins and Tyrell Shavers getting significant first-team reps in training camp, it’ll be interesting to see how much Allen and all the new guys are on the same page.

Hollins and Allen reportedly have chemistry together from the offseason workouts. Samuel has made some nice plays in camp and brings a home-run threat element to the Bills offense that they haven’t had in a while. Coleman has been on a roll, making highlight-reel catches almost every workout, and Shakir continues to look good out of the slot. Tyrell Shavers has been turning heads since day one of camp and is making a serious push to make the 53-man roster. He could even have Marquez Valdez-Scantling on the hot seat, who has had a quiet summer thus far.

Now it’s time to see who steps up in their first real game with the Bills (other than Shakir). Allen has also been very good throughout practice. There has been some talk from local reporters that the Bills receiving core is underrated and will be fun to watch on Saturday afternoon.