ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Josh Allen's indoctrination to the NFL will be slow and steady. Don't get too caught up with how high he was drafted, or how much the Bills parted with to be able to move up and select him, or in the accomplishments -- or lack thereof -- of the other quarterbacks on this roster. Because the Bills aren't.

They are highly enthused about the promise, mentality, work ethic, athleticism and potential of their first-round pick, but this isn't about today, or tomorrow or the first preseason or even Week 1. It's about putting Allen on a trajectory that has him as game-ready as possible by the time he does lead the Buffalo Bills in the huddle in a game that actually counts in the standings, and it's being conducted with the same pragmatic, analytical approach that this front office took to the entire task of overhauling this team once Sean McDermott took over before the 2017 season.

They are being realistic about where Allen is and how raw he is in some aspects, and they are giving him the smallest doses of starting reps as possible and then seeing how things go. Tuesday morning, he took but five snaps with the starters in 11-on-11 drills and attempted a solitary pass (it was broken up). And I'm told he continue to get about that same workload with the ones until the first pre-season game, and then they'll ramp it up or maintain this pace depending on what they see in the exhibitions. "He'll have to earn it each step of the way," is how one person in the know put it to me.

Could that result in him facing the Ravens in a hostile environment on Sept. 9 with potentially an unproven center snapping him the ball and with maybe his Pro Bowl running back on the commissioner's exempt list (LeSean McCoy's legal situation regarding abuse allegations is ongoing) and with a receiver group short on play-makers? I suppose you can't entirely rule it out, but I certainly wouldn't bank on it, it would require some stellar play in the preseason and the more experienced quarterbacks, Nathan Peterman and AJ McCarron, stumbling to some degree as well (several people advised me that Peterman, who is getting the most reps with the starters, will be in this thing through the summer).

"We've got a plan in our minds," McDermott said when asked about how the division of labor with the starting offense will play out in the preseason. One gets the sense that plan calls for a judicious approach with the novice quarterback whose fortunes will be intrinsically tied to those of the head coach and general manager Brandon Beane. These are the same guys willing to trade their highest-paid players shortly upon taking over and willing to look at an untested Peterman in the heart of a playoff race -- because they knew the roster wasn't ready to truly compete just yet in a league where fooling yourself or overstating your chances is a way of life -- and continue a teardown despite the series of quirky events that landed them in the postseason.

So you had best believe the braintrust here will keep their eyes on the longview and the ultimate prize with Allen and not get caught up in asking him to do too much too soon or try to justify their selection by showing him off on Sundays. Allen, for his part, understands where this is going.

"I wouldn't say its extremely important," Allen said when asked about the need to start in Week 1. "Obviously, that's what every quarterback wants to do, but there is only person who can start at the position in every given game. So you want to be out there and the competitiveness in my wants to be out there. But I want to be ready, and sometimes quarterbacks can get thrown in there too early and that can have a snowball effect on them during your career. So coach is going to do the smart thing."

On Tuesday Allen's time with the first-team lasted literally less than five minutes. He was as decoy on an RPO in the red zone, he handed off on an inside run at the 10, he threw an incomplete pass from the 8 that was broken up by a defender in the side of the end zone, he rolled out for what would have been a score and he handed off on an end-around from the 3. That was it.

The rest of the practice he was with the third team, or, what I was calling the 'R' team, since the rookie quarterback was paired often with two rookie receivers, a rookie running back, a few rookie linemen and a first-year tight end. Allen flashes his mobility and speed, but he remains a work very much in progress and his accuracy must improve over time. Peterman had a nice practice and has been steady and detailed; after practice he and Allen were working on their craft with some coaches and receivers and Allen is having to learn that, in this league and given where he is in development, often less is more.

"A couple of times during camp already I have passed on a checkdown for a bigger play," Allen told me, "and it worked out one time, and the other time it didn't work out. And it was the same exact play, same exact thing came up where the safe route was open and I decided to throw a corner instead. One, we caught it for a big gain, and the other one they took it the other way. So ultimately it's being as consistent as possible, and Coach [Brian] Daboll (the offensive coordinator) is always preaching this: 'Don't pass one to take one.' ''

We'll see how this all plays out over the four preseason games. Everyone seems comfortable with this division of labor, and I wouldn't discount Peterman's chances, while McCarron has flashed well in the preseason before and remains ahead of Allen for now as well.

Observations