Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Speaking of Croom, I don’t think he’s making the team. He has missed too much time with a hamstring injury and even if he hadn’t, I think both Knox and Sweeney are better players. Perhaps Croom can do something big Thursday to save his roster spot, but I’m not holding out hope for him unless the Bills keep a fourth active tight end until Kroft can get back.’

‘So, for one year of service, the Bills would be giving up at the very least a starting-caliber player and an upper-round draft pick. Perhaps the Texans would ask for even more given Clowney’s stature, production and youth (he’s only 26 years old).’

‘“Everybody has to determine their own time, when they’re ready, and if he’s played his last play, he had a heck of a career,” said Beane. “Any time somebody with his talent retires like this, you hate to see it for the league, such a great player and representative of what the NFL is all about.”’

‘Still, it makes you wonder whether the Bills were perhaps showcasing McCoy for a possible trade. Probably not, but it’s fun to speculate. I’ve said since the end of 2018 that I won’t believe McCoy and his $9 million salary will be on the roster until I actually see him warming up at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 8.’

‘That’s why it was baffling to me why the Bills’ offense played the first half the way it did. If you’re going to play Allen for an entire half, what was the point in having him hand off 16 times and throw only six passes (he had two other dropbacks where he ran)?’

‘Allen and the starters will see their most extensive playing time of the preseason against a Detroit starting defense that ranked 10th overall last season, including eighth against the pass.’

‘How the Bills will use LeSean McCoy, 31, and Frank Gore, 36, will come better into focus after this game. The Golden Boys had six combined carries for 13 yards against the Colts and Panthers. Rookie Devin Singletary is the starter in waiting, leaving Marcus Murphy, T.J. Yeldon, Senorise Perry and free-agent sensation and everybody’s favorite former rugby player Christian Wade battling for one spot. Perry is nursing a tender ankle.’

‘In Buffalo, she follows Kathryn Smith and Phoebe Schecter. Smith made history in 2016 as the first woman to hold a full-time coaching position in the NFL when she worked as Rex Ryan’s special teams quality control coach. Smith was not retained by McDermott when Ryan was fired.’

‘“It’s good to have Matt,” coach Sean McDermott said. “I really appreciate the way he plays and his leadership on this team, the way he works, his work with Josh and Tyree (Jackson) and that’s an important piece as the backup quarterback. He’s done a real nice job to this point.”’

‘1. Bruce Smith.’

‘“Coach McDermott came up to me and I called the coin toss and I said, ‘We want the ball’ and he said ‘OK, let’s go get it,’” Allen said following the Bills 27-14 victory over Carolina. “From that point on we were ready to go.”’

‘The Allen-to-Beasley connection is real, and as I’ve been saying almost since the day the Bills signed the diminutive slot receiver in free agency, he’s going to be a major weapon for Allen. In four preseason possessions to date, Beasley has six catches and had one last week wiped out by a penalty.’

‘The Bills have a clearly defined depth chart at the most important position: Josh Allen is the starter, Matt Barkley is the backup, and Jackson is a guy who really doesn’t look like he belongs in the NFL and is either going to be cut or stashed on the practice squad.’

‘“The reports have all been positive, and his maturation over the last few weeks has been tremendous,” said Frazier. “We talked about that prior to his going away on summer break. You can see by the way he’s practicing he’s improved in that area. That’s who he is. He’s one of those guys who’s going to work on any perceived weakness that he has. The results are what we’re seeing now.”’

‘“I wasn’t surprised,” said Panthers wide receiver Chris Hogan, who played four years in Buffalo before joining the Patriots and is now with the Panthers. “Just playing across the league in my time with Buffalo, it didn’t matter where we played, they’d always be there loud and proud. It’s great to bring some people here to Spartanburg.”’