Bills quarterback Josh Allen has made strides in his second season. Still, he’s no Lamar Jackson, the Ravens quarterback Buffalo will be facing this week when Baltimore comes to town.
But the Bills had a look at adding the current front-runner for the 2019 MVP Award. Jackson was on the board when the Bills traded up to the No. 7 overall pick at the 2018 NFL draft where they took Allen. Jackson eventually went with the final pick in the first round to the Ravens.
Ahead of trying to slow down Jackson, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott discussed his decision to go with Allen over Jackson. Referencing his renowned “culture,” the coach said Allen just fit that, it didn’t have anything to do with arm talent.
“We went through the process with (Jackson) as well. Like I said the other day, he was a fantastic player then, and he remains a fantastic player,” McDermott said. “It wasn’t so much about [pocket passing] as — we wanted Josh Allen and everything that Josh Allen brought to Buffalo. That was the right fit for us. No disrespect at all, obviously the Ravens got a fantastic player and credit goes to them, we feel good about where Josh is.”
Both Jackson and Allen entered the NFL under the same umbrella. The umbrella which included draft analysts making tongue-and-cheek comments about how those two should be tight ends or running backs. League-wide, Jackson is the better playmaker currently, he’s since proven his arm in the NFL, but both guys are proving dual-threat quarterbacks are here to stay.
“It is an exciting time around the NFL because of such young, dynamic playmakers like Lamar, like Josh, Mahomes, the list goes on,” McDermott said.
Of course, a head-to-head win over Jackson might change that league-wide narrative on Sunday.
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