Pleased with Josh Allen’s development, still wants to see more
In April 2018, Beane placed his future and reputation as an NFL executive into the hands of a 21-year-old.
Beane traded up to select quarterback Josh Allen in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, identifying the raw, but talented passer out of Wyoming as the future of the Bills’ franchise.
After Allen’s first two professional seasons, it looks as though Beane’s decision was a wise one. Though the quarterback’s game still lacks polish, he’s shown flashes of brilliance, displaying a unique blend of arm strength and athleticism that could help him develop into one of the league’s premier signal-callers.
Allen showed vast improvement in his sophomore season, showcasing more precise decision-making while also making statistical improvements in most passing categories. Beane was pleased with the progress he saw out of his quarterback in year two, but he’s still eager for more.
“I think Josh is a young player, and overall I’m very proud,” Beane said. “The thing about Josh, we had our exit meeting with him, you don’t even have to start going down areas of improvement, he’s got them. He’s very aware of the things he does well, those areas . . . When he walked out of here a year ago to when he came back in the spring . . . he improved in a lot of areas. Is he perfect? Is he where he wants to be? Is he where we want him to be? No. But he’s got the DNA to continue to improve, and I have no doubt he is disgusted, like we all are, that we didn’t finish that [playoff] game and come out with a win.
“Sometimes Josh, he wants it so bad that sometimes he tries to do too much. If we’re not moving the ball at times, I think that’s probably one of the things he has to work on, is still playing within himself. I think he tried to put all 45 other players on his back and do things that he shouldn’t do . . . He’s a fiery competitor, and I would much rather have those errors than check-down-charlie, being timid, all those types of things. I’m very proud of Josh, I have no doubt that he’s going to come back an even better version of himself in April.”
Though he knows that Allen still has room to grow, Beane still feels as though the quarterback was invaluable to Buffalo’s success in 2019, viewing him as an already-solid passer with an incredibly high ceiling.
“We don’t win 10 games without Josh Allen,” Beane said.
“I don’t think there’s a hump that Josh can’t get over. I think he’s so determined. People say you can take coaching and criticism, Josh truly takes it. He wants the feedback, he doesn’t get his feelings hurt . . . At the end of the day, it’s maturity, and it’s me doing a better job of increasing the talent around him, too, so that he can trust, have more players that [he] can trust and make plays for him, where he’s just got to get the ball out, hand it off, do whatever, and not feel like he has to do too much.”
Josh Allen does it again. Another dime, this time to John Brown. 53-yard TD and the #Bills take the lead.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 21, 2019
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