ALLEN & THE BILLS SET TO BAPTIZE HIGHMARK STADIUM WITH THE HAMMER DROPPING SATURDAY

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — New building, same bad intentions. The Buffalo Bills are about to flip the switch at their brand-new Highmark Stadium, and Josh Allen is leading the charge.

Coach Joe Brady dropped the news Thursday: everyone healthy will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. That means No. 17, the starting offense, the starting defense — all of it. No bubble wrap. No scared preseason football.

"Things can change after today's practice, but right now, everybody that's healthy is gonna be playing out there on Saturday," Brady said.

FIRST GAME. NEW HOME. ZERO REHEARSAL.

Saturday marks the first game ever staged at the state-of-the-art Highmark Stadium. Last week the team got a taste of the place with their "Return of the Blue & Red" practice, but this is the real deal — live bullets, full speed, actual football.

And it's not just a warmup. With the regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions coming on Sept. 17 at the same venue, this is a chance for the Bills to shake out the new digs, figure out the locker room routes, and get comfortable in a building that's about to be a fortress.

Allen, who skipped the preseason entirely under Sean McDermott last year, is fully on board with the change of approach. The nine-year veteran isn't looking to tip-toe through this thing — he wants to go full-throttle.

"I'd love to play," Allen said after practice. "I couldn't tell you how long or how many drives... but to get out there and get a good feeling and a good sense of the game and get a good sense of the guys around me, I feel like that's important to do."

Brady didn't reveal exactly how many snaps the starters will see, but he made it clear the reasoning goes beyond just getting reps. He wants to see finishing. He wants to see tackling. He wants to see this team establish an identity before the games actually count.

"It's our first opportunity for us to come together and show an example of what the Buffalo Bills are about," Brady said. "And so, I think that that's important."

As for protecting the franchise QB? Brady's stance is refreshingly direct: he wants Allen to be smart, but he still wants him to be Josh Allen.

"If you kind of just dip your toe in, that's when I think bad happens," Brady said. "So, if we're out there going, we're going."

Get ready, Bills Mafia. The new crib is getting initiated the only way Buffalo knows how — full speed, no apologies, and Josh Allen slinging it. Saturday can't come soon enough.