Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
That’s great. Go ahead, make your jokes mister jokey…joke-maker. But hear me out.
Josh Allen certainly struggled in a rather surprising area last season: The vertical passing game. According to Pro Football Focus charting, he ranked 23rd of 24 qualifying passers in Adjusted Completion Percentage on deep throws (defined as throws 20 yards or more downfield). His NFL passer rating on such attempts was just 64.4 (which ranked him 20th among qualified passers) and he threw just four touchdowns against three interceptions. Those…are not great numbers.
They are also surprising. Coming out of the University of Wyoming he was known for his arm strength and his prowess in the vertical passing game. Anyone who studied him, including this author, believed he was best suited in a vertical passing game. But that part of his game faded away last year. Even more surprising, Allen became more of a timing- and rhythm-based passer. Under Brian Daboll, he made huge strides in this area. Take this play against the New York Jets:
On this fourth quarter throw Allen throws a deep curl route from the left hashmark to the right sideline. Looking at the moment he releases this ball, his target is starting his break back down the stem. The timing and rhythm on this play is perfect, and when you add the cushion Brown has from the nearest defender, it is again impossible to stop this completion.
But the deep passing is a concern, and that is where Stefon Diggs comes into play. Acquired by the Bills via trade, Diggs was one of the top vertical receivers last year. He saw 29 targets of 20 yards or more a season ago, according to PFF’s charting data, tying him with DeVante Parker and Allen Robinson for third in the league (behind Kenny Golladay and Odell Beckham Jr.). On those 29 targets, Diggs had 16 receptions for 635 yards and six touchdowns. Those six scoring plays were the most from any receiver on vertical throws last year. Diggs is a downfield threat in the passing game, and pairing him with John Brown and Cole Beasley, as well as emerging tight end Dawson Knox, gives the Bills a complete arsenal of receiving threats.
It also gives Allen a downfield target that he might, just might, get on the same page with.