The Buffalo Bills fell flat in their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, the injuries are starting the mount and the roster doesn’t feature as much star power to fall back on as previous years. In other words, the team could use some positive vibes to come out of Saturday night’s exhibition clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There have been a few promising signs for Buffalo. The wide receiver room, which entered training camp as the club’s biggest question mark, has been terrific. In addition, Von Miller looked poised for a bounce-back year, which is a major plus for the pass rush.
The Bills will hope the outlook elsewhere starts to improve Saturday against the Steelers. Here are a few players who’ll be in the spotlight as part of that effort.
Bills Players To Watch In Preseason vs. Steelers
Ben DiNucci (QB)
Buffalo signed DiNucci this week after third-string quarterback Shane Buechele suffered a season-ending neck injury. The 2020 seventh-round pick hasn’t played in the NFL since his rookie campaign, when he made three appearances for the Dallas Cowboys.
The 27-year-old Atlanta native put together a solid season with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023. He completed 64.7 percent of his throws for 2,671 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions across ten games. He added 305 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
Now he’ll try to make an immediate impact with the Bills, who may be in the market for a new backup after Mitchell Trubisky struggled against the Bears. Trubisky connected on just 10 of his 18 throws last week, including an egregious misfire on a would-be touchdown to tight end Quintin Morris.
The #Bills might want to consider probing the market for a new backup QB. Mitch Trubisky was big yikes today #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/NceYPGb9j5
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 11, 2024
DiNucci will likely be working with a limited playbook Saturday since he just joined the team. He may end up playing nearly an entire half, though. So there will be a chance for him to make some plays and at least make the backup battle competitive heading into the final week.
If nothing else, putting a little pressure on Trubisky is a necessity. Buechele wasn’t able to do that, as he didn’t make many plays throughout training camp before the injury.
Dorian Williams (LB)
Matt Milano, one of the Bills’ two projected starting linebackers alongside Terrel Bernard, will be sidelined until at least December because of a biceps injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s his second straight season with a long-term absence. He only played five games last year because of a leg injury.
Williams was thrust into a larger role than expected as a rookie in 2023 because of Milano’s absence. He performed modestly, tallying 40 total tackles, but didn’t make many splash plays. That’ll have to change if he’s once again thrust into the starting lineup.
The 23-year-old Tulane product was one of the bright spots in last week’s loss to the Bears. He posted a team-high six tackles and a sack in 31 snaps. It was a step in the right direction. Now Milano’s injury puts even more pressure on him to rapidly develop as a playmaker.
Check out Dorian Williams rushing the passer & just chucking any RB who gets in his way💪
See the rest of the playmakers from the #BUFvsCHI pre-season matchup in the latest Film Room
▶️https://t.co/WR3RkK3RVc pic.twitter.com/mQKOYEFm2h— Cover 1 (@Cover1) August 15, 2024
Buffalo isn’t going to lean solely on any one player to replace Milano. Williams is going to see the biggest increase in playing time, though. He’ll need to perform better than last year if the team’s defense is going to rank among the league’s best.
Damar Hamlin (S)
The longer Cole Bishop (shoulder) and Mike Edwards (hamstring) remain sidelined by injuries, the more likely it becomes Hamlin is a Week 1 starter. None of the other contenders at safety have stood out, and last year’s most inspirational story has the most experience in the Bills scheme.
Before his life-threatening injury in 2022, Hamlin was putting together a solid season for Buffalo in place of the injured Micah Hyde. He tallied 91 tackles, two passes defended, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble across 15 games.
Now, he could be back in a critical role after playing limited snaps in 2023. The question is whether Hamlin and Taylor Rapp can make anywhere near the same impact as Hyde and Jordan Poyer did at the back end of the secondary for so long.
Just like Williams at the linebacker level, it comes down to making enough splash plays. It’s the one thing the Buffalo defense is lacking on paper. Without them, too much pressure is going to land on the shoulders of quarterback Josh Allen and the offense.
Main Image: Mark Konezny – USA Today Sports
