BREAKING: Bills GM Made ‘Stupid’ Mistake After Drafting QB Josh Allen
With quarterback Josh Allen leading the Buffalo Bills, the team is always a contender. However, Bills general manager Brandon Beane believes Allen could have been more successful early in his career if not for a significant oversight on Beane’s part.
During an appearance on “The Athletic Football Show,” analyst Robert Mays asked Beane if there was anything he would do differently over his seven years in Buffalo. Beane admitted that his biggest regret was not providing Allen with a veteran mentor after drafting him with the No. 7 overall pick in 2018.
“One of the first lessons I learned that I screwed up was when, for those teams drafting a rookie quarterback, I didn’t have someone here with the right experience, a veteran for Josh to lean on,” Beane said.
“Early on, Josh was kinda struggling a bit and going through his thing, and I realized it. It was stupid of me not to have done it sooner — but I got Derek Anderson in here around week 5 or 6. And I should’ve had that before.”
"I got too cute."
THIS is what Bills GM Brandon Beane regretted about how he drafted Josh Allen 😳
More on the full episode of The Athletic NFL Show, including Beane explaining why he traded Stefon Diggs ⤵️https://t.co/SsvcEuNe6k pic.twitter.com/A2RpU1Lqeh
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) May 28, 2024
“I knew D.A.,” Beane continued. “He did such great things for Cam [Newton]… We were looking at some young guys to give them a chance. But really, we put all our assets into Josh Allen. I got too cute. That was the first big ‘you dumbass’ I said to myself.”
Allen earned the starting job over Nathan Peterman in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL season. In 12 games and 11 starts, the Wyoming alum completed 169-of-320 passes for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
“I think it would’ve helped Josh more his rookie year,” Beane lamented. “It was my dumb error early on.”
Bills OC Joe Brady Declared, ‘This Is Josh Allen’s Offense’
While there’s significant turnover in the receivers room this year, with the notable departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady isn’t overly concerned. The reason? The dual-threat superstar, Josh Allen.
Josh Allen is a FREAK
pic.twitter.com/d9hV2UpV8F— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 15, 2024
“At the end of the day, this is Josh Allen’s offense,” Brady told reporters on Tuesday, May 28. “It’s a quarterback-driven league… we’re fortunate that we still have him, and the offense will still run through him. We’ll have to adjust, and we’ll have to get a feel of how teams are playing us. We’re a few days in, but we’re excited about the group that we have.”
Brady is currently assessing the new talent and determining their strengths. Ultimately, the offense will be designed around Allen’s abilities.
“If there’s things that I feel like, from the learning standpoint, that would be easier for the guys to maybe learn, then we’d look at that. But other than that, if it’s something that was going to slow 17 down, [we’re] not changing that,” he said.
Bills News: Buffalo Plans to Utilize a Committee of Wide Receivers Around QB Josh Allen
One of the biggest offseason questions is which player will replace Stefon Diggs as Josh Allen’s No. 1 target. The Bills’ top receivers include Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, and Khalil Shakir. Buffalo also signed Chase Claypool and former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Bills OTAs resumed today. Here’s a look at Josh Allen working with his new group of receivers- Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, and Keon Coleman. pic.twitter.com/8QniyBKuCK
— Josh Reed (@4JoshReed) May 28, 2024
Following his breakout rookie season, tight end Dalton Kincaid is expected to receive a lot of targets in 2024. While general manager Brandon Beane mentioned a committee approach shortly after trading Diggs, offensive coordinator Joe Brady reinforced this idea on Tuesday.
“In this offense, everyone is going to eat,” Brady said.
“You don’t just sit there and just say you’re gonna replace a player or replace a scheme or targets,” Brady added. “Every year is gonna be different, and to me, the biggest thing is just as you’re going into it, ‘All right, hey, what do these wide receivers do well? And let’s find ways to put them in those positions.’”