The Bills have a franchise quarterback atop the depth chart. Beyond that, they don’t know what they have.
Coach Sean McDermott said after Buffalo’s preseason opener that there is an open competition for the No. 2 quarterback job.
Newcomer Kyle Allen got the start against the Colts. He led five drives. The last one ended with a pick six.
Allen completed eight of 15 passes for 122 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Barkley completed 14 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, in four drives.
They’re both on one-year deals. Barkley is getting $1.25 million, and Allen is making $1.232 million. Barkley has $235,000 guaranteed; Allen gets $350,000 guaranteed.
There’s a chance both will stay on the 53-man roster, behind Allen. The Bills also could decide to go with neither, signing or trading for someone else to be the understudy to Allen.
Either way, they clearly need Allen to stay healthy. Like most teams that have true franchise quarterbacks, losing the player likely would mean the cause is lost.
