By Logan Franz

Of all the rookie quarterbacks to have played this season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has decidedly been the least impressive. It’s not to any fault of his own; his team just doesn’t have much star power- even when compared to a team like Cleveland.

Buffalo’s receiving core of wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones and Andre Holmes has very little competition for worst in the NFL. Mix that in with a “swiss cheese” offensive line with many holes and a quarterback that struggled with decision making in college, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

When Allen was drafted by the Buffalo with the seventh overall pick of the 2018 draft, it seemed like all hope was lost- at least for his foreseeable future. The only bright spot on this team’s offense was 30-year old-running back LeSean McCoy, who proved early in the season to be over the hill. As I mentioned earlier, Allen also struggled with his decision making in college, specifically deciding on whether or not to throw the ball away. He took far too many sacks, and held onto the ball for far too long at the college level.

In his first few games as a starter, Allen has been enigmatic. In Buffalo’s win over Minnesota in Week 3, the Bills throttled a defense that was in the discussion of the best in the league. Allen went 15-22 for 196 yards and a touchdown, while also recording 10 rushes and two rushing touchdowns.

Rookie seasons should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially Allen’s rookie year. He has been thrown to the wolves on a team devoid of talent, and that can really hold back a rookie quarterback in his development- especially when, like Allen’s case, he was drafted as a project. The Bills invested a lot to get their quarterback, and now they need to invest in the talent around him- otherwise they risk dooming his career- and they’ll find themselves back in the top of the draft, looking to take a new quarterback in four or five years.

Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu