EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of previewing Buffalo Bills position groups ahead of training camp.
Is Josh Allen overrated? Is he underrated?
Those conversations only exist in the bowels of social media, where it’s too dark for rational discussion. Frankly, there’s not much left for Allen to prove.
Allen was named NFL MVP during his least statistically impressive season since 2019, although a broken left hand in Week 1 played a role. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has the most total touchdowns (260) in a player’s first seven seasons all-time, and while his yards and touchdowns declined in 2024, so did his turnovers.
The long-time knock on Allen was that despite his gaudy numbers, he was prone to foolish turnovers. Well, he had a career-low eight turnovers, including just six interceptions after throwing 49 in the previous three seasons.
So what’s left to prove?
Allen’s MVP award, his NFL-record contract and his marriage to Hailee Steinfeld in what amounted to Buffalo’s Royal Wedding (held in California) haven’t kept him from finding areas to improve. For sickos like Allen and his elite contemporaries, complacency might as well be death.
After being duped on his final play of the AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen immersed himself in film study to limit those scenarios in the future. He also worked with Biometrek for the second consecutive offseason to refine his throwing motion, a year after saying, “You show me the perfect throw, I’ll tell you something wrong with it.”
Truthfully, the only plunder the swashbuckling quarterback still needs is a Super Bowl ring. It’s the only thing keeping Allen a notch below Patrick Mahomes. Another contemporary, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, has a Super Bowl appearance.
The goalposts sway frequently in ring culture, but it’s fairly obvious that failing to win a Super Bowl could someday keep Allen out of conversations with greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Allen doesn’t have to look far to notice that reality.
Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers carry that bruised eye on the face spectacular careers. John Elway felt it until winning the first of back-to-back Super Bowls at 37, same for Steve Young in 1994.
Peyton Manning heard until winning his first ring in 2006, nine years into his career. Largely due to his rivalry with Tom Brady, Manning also got the “He’s only got one” treatment until winning again in 2015, something Aaron Rodgers has also endured.
“We’ve had some good success over the last few years,” Allen said. “It’s just not allowing things to deter us from being who we are and doing what we do. … We’re going to keep working hard just to make sure our focus is on the main thing and that’s bringing a Lombardi trophy here.”
Stone-cold truth
Under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Bills have proven they can win without Allen lugging the offense around on his back.
In 24 regular season games with Brady, Allen is averaging 226.5 passing yards per game. That’s nearly 40 yards less than he averaged in 26 games with Ken Dorsey and nearly 45 fewer than his final 33 games with Brian Daboll.
Allen also has just five 300-yard games with Brady calling plays. But while the Bills don’t need Allen to will them to win anymore, eventually he’s going to need to throw the ball more often for the Bills to win.
Not only is it the way of the modern NFL, but dishing out his salary to a game manager is business malfeasance. And after coming up empty two years in a row with the ball in his hands on the final possession of a playoff loss, Allen needs to deliver in those moments.
Allen doesn’t need to prove he can produce in the clutch anymore, but those are the situations he must show his contract is worth the price.
Training camp battle
A true quarterback battle in training camp? It appears to be shaping up that way for the Bills this summer. Since Allen became the starter, there really hasn’t been much competition to be his backup, but the Bills now have two capable players in incumbent Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White.
Trubisky has had a more productive career with 74 touchdowns, 48 interceptions and a 31-26 career record as a starter, even playing in the Pro Bowl in 2018. White is on his third AFC East team and has nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in just seven starts since 2021, but the Bills clearly see something.
Buffalo signed White to the practice squad after training camp last year and eventually promoted him to the active roster with a one-year extension. General manager Brandon Beane said the Bills want competition for the job and minicamp practices showed that White is going to get a fair chance.
“(Trubisky) knows, ‘Hey, I got to come out and show that I’m the guy should something happen to Josh Allen,’” Beane said. “Mike White has played a lot of meaningful snaps. … Kind of thought maybe he’d get plucked at some point, but were fortunate to keep him here and told him, ‘Listen, come back, compete and let’s let the best man win.’ Our job is to find the best 53 that we can.”