Despite initial fear, Buffalo Bills quarterback A.J. McCarron did not suffer a collarbone fracture and will soon return to practice, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The news came shortly after it was announced that rookie Josh Allen will start in this week's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. As Schefter noted above, the starting quarterback competition in Buffalo is far from done with.

It was reported after Buffalo's preseason tilt on Friday that McCarron had a hairline fracture. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network initially reported that McCarron would be out of action for several weeks, but the 27-year-old dodged a bullet and now gets the prime opportunity to become a starter for the first time in his career.

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After spending four seasons as a backup for the Bengals, McCarron signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Bills in March. The three-time national champion and Alabama product showed his potential to be a starter during the 2015 season, however, when he had to replace an injured Andy Dalton.

McCarron won two of his three starts then helped the Bengals win the AFC North division. However, they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round, despite a clutch performance from McCarron.

Despite making the playoffs for the first time in 18 years under quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the Bills dealt him to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason. The front office then signed McCarron and traded up to draft Allen, giving them two potential starting quarterbacks.

It's anybody's guess who wins the starting competition between McCarron and Allen. The former obviously has the experience and knows what it takes to compete at the NFL level, but Allen comes with more upside. Bills coaches will have a very difficult decision to make as Week 1 draws closer.

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