The redheaded stepchild of NFL games is upon us. Even in the context of preseason games, the second games hold no allure. It doesn’t herald the return of football, it doesn’t see extended time from the starters, and it doesn’t carry the urgency for the back end of the roster that we see in the preseason finale.
That said, there are still going to be things to watch for when the Buffalo Bills visit the Philadelphia Eagles. How will the first team offense operate without Sammy Watkins to throw to? How is Anquan Boldin going to look in his first game in a Bills uniform? Will Zay Jones see some involvement with the offense? Who is going to see early playing time at the tackle positions?
On the defensive side, it’ll be interesting to see how the secondary looks without Ronald Darby. We’ll be paying attention to see who starts opposite first-round pick Tre’Davious White, and it’ll be nice to see how second-year man Kevon Seymour looks in what should be his first action of the preseason.
Feel free to discuss your first-team observations here. We’ll post another open thread when Nathan Peterman leads the reserves onto the field.