Four things to watch for during the Buffalo Bills second preseason game

Entering the second week of the preseason, their is reasons for Buffalo Bills’ fans to be both happy and concerned about their team. As far the upcoming contest goes, that is possibly the least of the teams worries at this point. That said, this game will go quite a way in determining players that could be cut and what position battles may take place this preseason.

Roster cuts, positional battles, and players returning from injury all benefit from these preseason contests. Following their loss to the Dolphins last week, you definitely know the New York Giants are going to be ready to during this game. Hopefully the Bills loss last week will enable them to do the same.

Should you decide the watch the game on Saturday evening, we have a quick guide of things to watch out for from the Bills during their second preseason game.

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1. Will Sammy Watkins play?

Recovering from offseason foot surgery, Sammy Watkins has had a pretty quiet preseason thus far. Not playing last week during the Bills contest against the Colts, there is a shot that we could see Watkins play at least a possession on offense this Saturday. The biggest variable remains to be the health of Watkins foot.

Should he be healthy enough to go, I do expect Watkins to play a little against the Giants. Beyond a possession or two may be doubtful at this point. Should some amount of risk still remain for re-injury, then Watkins will almost certainly be showing up in warmup gear.

2. Can Jonathan Williams show similar form

One of the breakout players from last weeks game against Indianapolis, running back Jonathan Williams will be looking to repeat as the teams top running back this week. The rookie out of Arkansas — who missed all of last season with the Hogs — could also face some fatigue given his injury filled senior season.

With Karlos Williams out for the teams first four games and Reggie Bush looking to be a situational choice, Jonathan Wiliams could take over as the primary backup for LeSean McCoy with some continued top performances.

READ MORE: Bills attention turning toward Stephon Gilmore

3. Cardale Jones to overtake EJ Manuel

Both backup quarterbacks for the Buffalo Bills played well last week. EJ Manuel and Cardale Jones were both on their games and did what could be asked of each. That said, Jones is a rookie and Manuel is the veteran. With a new trend in the NFL of carrying only two quarterbacks arising, can Manuel hold onto a roster spot.

Unlikely in my eyes, with Jones playing strong in his NFL debut and having a sky high ceiling, I have doubts that the Bills would move him down to the practice squad. What does that mean for EJ Manuel? Well, for starters he needs to play well again this week to hopefully give Buffalo something else to think about besides Cardale Jones.

4. The battle at outside linebacker

Manny Lawson is being investigated by the NFL for domestic abuse claims. Shaq Lawson and IK Enemkpali have both gone down with serious injuries. With Jerry Hughes the only assured starter at outside linebacker, the battle for a starting spot is underway on the Buffalo Bills defense.

Looking below the current top two tiers of the depth chart, a mix of rookies and veterans await at outside linebacker. Based on their play this week against the Giants, the battle for the starting position at outside linebacker could either heat up or be locked in by one of the teams contenders.

READ MORE: Marcell Dareus suspended for four games

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