In 2018, the Buffalo Bills may have found something they have been looking for a while, and that is a franchise quarterback. Since Jim Kelly retired in 1996, the Bills have tried with many different guys, but they could not find that quarterback that could lead the franchise. However, there might be a new day in Buffalo.
Quarterback Josh Allen showed a lot of things last season that should excite Bills fans. The number seven overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft showed an ability to not only use his arm, but use his feet as well. Allen rushed for 631 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and he also improved as a passer as the year went on. In his first six games, Allen threw only two touchdown passes, but in his last six games, he threw eight touchdown passes, which makes Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander very optimistic about 22-year-old’s future in Buffalo.
“He’s a playmaker,” Alexander recently told Paul Gant and the Go4it podcast. “I think we got to see that… I did not give Josh as much credit as far as his athleticism, his ability to make plays with his legs.
“Obviously, from a quarterback standpoint, this offseason I know he’s going to focus on continuing to understand how to play quarterback at a high level, that football IQ, recognizing defenses, understanding matchups with his guys, and accuracy through working through his fundamentals and footwork, and all those little details that make you a great quarterback. And if he has that jump as I believe he will because of the character he has shown me over the course of last season, he’s definitely going to be an improved player.”
Some may argue that Allen needs to be smarter in terms of when to use his legs, but Alexander believes that is not a big issue at this point.
“He’s still young, he can take some punishment,” Alexander said. “He’s a big kid… I never want to handcuff his ability to make plays, so he has to be smart toward the end of those runs that he makes.”
Allen does need to become a better passer moving forward(10 TDs/12 interceptions last season). As for now, he seems to have the ability to be the franchise guy the Bills have wanted for years. If Allen continues to develop, the future could be very bright in Buffalo!
Listen below as Alexander talks Josh Allen at the 06:50 mark:
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