Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has cemented himself among the upper echelon at the position in the league. He has made some major strides since entering the league as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Wyoming.
Coming into the NFL, Allen has a big arm and excellent physical attributes but there was some work to do when it came to putting it all together. His rookie season, as expected, was up and down but he has really begun figuring it out in recent seasons.
Allen had a huge 2020 season when he finished second in the MVP voting. He completed 69.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 4,544 yards with 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He took a step back in the efficiency department in 2021, completing 63.3 percent of his passes and throwing 15 interceptions, but he is still one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league to game plan against.
That is because Allen is just as dangerous and dominant with his legs as a runner as he is throwing deep balls to Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Allen led the NFL with 6.3 yards per rush last season, gaining 763 yards on 122 attempts. He scored six touchdowns on the ground as he is sometimes used as the team’s short-yardage and goal-line runner.
Those accomplishments on the ground with the Bills have put him in a class of his own. Allen has 31 rushing touchdowns in his first four seasons in the NFL to go along with 103 passing touchdowns. He is the only player in NFL history to reach those plateaus in their first four seasons in the league.
There are other dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, but Allen is arguably the best one. Kyler Murray may be quicker than Allen, but Murray doesn’t possess the size to hold up carrying the ball as often. Jalen Hurts has good size as a running quarterback, but he has a long way to go in developing in the passing game.
Lamar Jackson is likely the closest to Allen in terms of dual-threat ability. He is in a league of his own when it comes to athleticism at the quarterback position. But, he hasn’t honed in his passing ability as well as Allen has to this point. Had he started the same amount of games as Allen, who has 60 compared to 49 for Jackson, there is a chance he would have also joined this club.
The Bills are certainly happy to have Josh Allen on their team. Watching him perform on offense is a lot more fun when you aren’t attempting to scheme against and try stopping him.
