The Buffalo Bills cleared Josh Allen to play September 12 against the Miami Dolphins following an injury scare to his non-throwing hand in the season opener, but the quarterback may be taking some extra precautions to stay healthy ahead of the game.
Allen wore a glove on the hand during the team’s September 10 practice, Syracuse.com reported.
“Josh Allen is full participant in practice today. Here he is throwing,” Matt Parrino tweeted, sharing a video showing Allen with a white protective glove. “He’s wearing a glove on his left non throwing hand. This is the only media open portion viewing period of the week before Thursday night against the Dolphins.”
Allen hurt his hand on a fourth-quarter touchdown run in the team’s 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals on September 8. He scrambled near the goal line and jumped over Cardinals safety Budda Baker, crashing into the end zone and landing on his left hand.
With his hand taped, Allen was able to complete the game and later underwent X-rays. The Bills have since cleared him to play in Week 2.
Allen said he was fine.
“Just trying to be as normal as possible,” Allen told reporters after practice on September 10. “I felt like I threw it well today and was able to do all the things, so, ready to go.”
Josh Allen Ready to Play
Spectrum News 1’s Andy Young reported that Allen won’t be limited in taking snaps with the new glove.
“HC Sean McDermott said Monday he did not think Allen would have any limitations taking snaps from under center,” Young shared in a post on X.
Allen was able to finish the win over the Cardinals without any noticeable limitations, rushing the ball twice and making three pass attempts. Overall, he had a strong game in the team’s season-opening win, completing 18-of-23 passes for 232 yards with 2 passing touchdowns and adding 39 rushing yards 2 two touchdowns.
He has played through nagging injuries before, including an early season shoulder injury last year that forced him to tweak his throwing mechanics for the rest of the season.
Bills Quarterback More Cautious?
While the hand injury will not limit his ability to take snaps, Allen could be more cautious in running the ball against the Dolphins. The team has stressed the need for Allen to limit the number of hits he takes, with Allen himself acknowledging after the Cardinals game that he can’t keep taking such hard hits.
“The first rushing touchdown, I kind of lowered the shoulder, knowing that was a corner,” the Bills quarterback said of his first touchdown, via ESPN. “Second time, I knew it was Budda, and Budda’s a good player and he’ll lay the boom on you, so I decided to go up and over, but probably can’t make a living doing that, but here we are.”
The Bills face a key early season matchup on Thursday Night Football, traveling to Miami to take on the division rival Dolphins. The teams battled down to the wire last season, with the Bills erasing a two-game deficit in the division over the final month and beating the Dolphins in the series finale to win the AFC East.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
