Tag: Matt Barkley

Jake Fromm is ‘no message at all’ to Josh Allen says Brandon Beane

When appearing on ESPN this week, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane made sure that the big picture reflected the reality. 

There’s usually a difference in national narrative and a local one.

Let’s explain:

Example A:

At the draft, the Bills selected a threat to starting quarterback Josh Allen in Jake Fromm. 

Example B:

Matt Barkley better be on his toes, the Bills now have Jake Fromm. 

It’s easy to see that one of these comes from a national perspective while the other is from a more localized one.

While discussing his reasoning for why he decided to select Fromm with Buffalo’s fifth-round pick at the 2020 NFL Draft with ESPN, Beane set the record straight.

The GM was asked about the “message” he’s sending to Allen via picking Fromm.

“No, there’s no message at all,” Beane said. “We believe in Josh.

“That’s been the whole goal, to add weapons. We didn’t score enough points last year and that starts with me. Giving him and [offensive coordinator] Brian Daboll as much, as many weapons as we can. Adding Fromm was just… a guy that we had on our board that we really thought had a great college career and he’s very smart. He’ll add to the competition to backup Josh, but Josh is our entrenched starter.”

Locally there was no thought of Allen being dethroned by Fromm in the short term. Beane sent a message to the rest of the NFL that the Bills do trust Allen, making sure both narratives reflect one another. But Beane can’t be totally shy to the thought of Fromm.

If Allen struggles, even if Fromm is a fifth-round pick, eventually there will be clamor for him to start. It might not be in 2020, but there’s a chance that Fromm and Allen are connected for at least another year or two beyond next season.

With the additions the Bills made this offseason, such as Stefon Diggs and Zack Moss, there’s plenty of talent around Allen now. No reason for him to take any sort of step back in Year 3. So the foundation is set for Allen to improve… but now there’s also one for Fromm.

 

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Brandon Beane: Bills QB Jake Fromm will earn spot

Buffalo Bills general manager says 2020 NFL Draft QB Jake Fromm will earn spot.

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With a selection that came as a surprise to many, the Buffalo Bills took quarterback Jake Fromm with pick No. 167 in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Adding a relatively known QB to the Bills roster with Josh Allen and recently extended backup Matt Barkley raises some questions. There were several other positions that could have used depth. 

But Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane didn’t bounce around the question, Fromm was the best player available on the Bills’ draft board when they were on the clock. 

“Simple as the [draft] board,” Beane said. “I wouldn’t have told you going into the day that (Fromm) was on our radar. But we had him in a spot that you just can’t ignore.”

“He’s a winner at the highest level of college. He’s got all the intangibles,” Beane added. 

But that doesn’t answer the question everyone is wondering. What will happen with Fromm? Well, he’s going to be treated the same as Allen, Barkley, and everyone else. 

“He’ll have to earn a spot,” Beane said. “I don’t know if he could knock Matt Barkley.”

The biggest knock on Fromm during the pre-draft process was likely some of his work at the combine. His hands measured in under the traditionally wanted nine inches and his arm is not the strongest you’ll find. With that in mind, Fromm is kind of the oppose of Allen. His arm isn’t big and he’s not the mobile type. 

Only time will tell as to how the Bills will approach this situation. Beane didn’t rule out the possibility of using three roster spots on quarterbacks for the upcoming season. The last time the Bills did so, it Joe Webb, a special teamer, was the third guy. Davis Webb is also on Buffalo’s practice squad. 

However the Bills approach it, they have a prospective starter in the backup roll. It’s unlikely that there will be a QB controversy, but, in the case that Josh Allen can not succeed with the plethora of talent around him, Fromm could eventually find himself in a much larger role within the Bills offense. We’ll cross that road when we get there.

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Instant analysis: QB competition? Bills take Jake Fromm at 2020 draft

In a bit of a surprise, the Buffalo Bills ended the long anticipated wait for Georgia QB Jake Fromm taking the former Bulldog in Round 5 at pick No. 167 in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

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In a bit of a surprise, the Buffalo Bills ended the long-anticipated wait for Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, taking the former Bulldog in Round 5 at pick No. 167 at the 2020 NFL Draft.

This is beyond intriguing, to say the least.

For starters, Fromm is the complete opposite of Josh Allen as a quarterback in so many aspects. Fromm relies on anticipation and rhythm, not the fastball, big arm and dual-threat skills. Fromm is careful and a heady game-manager with great processing, recognition and scans the entire field. He enters the NFL from a perennial national contending program in the SEC, not the Mountain West. While the differences are striking, the marriage may be a perfect blend in the QB room with Allen helping Fromm and Fromm helping to prepare Allen. He’s not going to push Allen for playing time right away, rather…

Matt Barkley, take notice…

For many reasons, you quickly understand the selection from the Bills’ perspective for many reasons.

Ultimately Fromm signifies a developmental player and security blanket in case Allen were to miss a significant amount of time. Due to Allen’s aggressive playing style, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane wanted insurance and was likely to bring another QB in the fold anyway this offseason.  The value this late in the draft justifies the selection as well. Did head coach Sean McDermott and Beane also want to keep another QB heading to the Patriots?

Fromm was a durable leader throughout his collegiate career and leaves behind a legacy of one of the winningest quarterbacks to ever play for Georgia. He finished fourth in school history in passing yards (8,224), second in touchdowns (78), fourth in completions (621), and fifth in attempts (982). His career completion percentage of 63.2 percent ranks third in school history.

A high-character quarterback, Fromm lacks raw skills but possesses all the intangibles that you would want in a backup.

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Bills’ QB situation ranked No. 23 by Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is bit hot and cold on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Sports Illustrated is bit hot and cold on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Because of this, in their recent QB room rankings in the NFL, Buffalo’s trio of Allen, Matt Barkley and Davis Webb slot in at No. 23 overall.

SI acknowledges some improvements in Allen, and then calls some concerning, too. Then also predicts there’s a chance for further improvement next season.

Here’s the full roller coaster:

23. Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen grew immensely last year and has the tools to make another leap in Year 3; the question is whether or not it will happen. I think some of the statistics behind Allen’s breakout season are concerning, though an upgraded weapon set and another year of experience for his offensive line may prove us wrong.

The analysis isn’t far off on Allen, although the ranking is certainly questionable. Allen improved in Year 2, which instills some belief that he can improve, even if ever so slightly, once again in Year 3. The target area for his improvement is the deep ball.

Allen has the arm strength, but not exactly the accuracy. In the NFL, you’d like to see your quarterback have a completion percent above 60. Allen went from a 52.8 completion rate as a rookie to a 58.8 percentage last season. In acquiring wideout Stefon Diggs alone, Allen could complete a few more deep balls with the way Diggs brings in contested catches, and inch him closer to that benchmark.

Still, Allen, as it seems to often be, takes a bump here for his playing style. The surprisingly mobile quarterback gets knocked for moving the stick with his feet. On the flip side, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson lead their QB rooms to the No. 3 and 5 slots in SI’s rankings, respectively, for their dual-threat style.

Those two, especially Wilson, are more proven passers to this point. But that still makes the list a bit curious.

Allen should not a top-10 candidate, but there a few folks ahead of him that are questionable. Those include the Panthers’ Teddy Bridgewater (22), the Bears’ Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles (23), the Browns’ Baker Mayfield (19) and even the Rams’ Jared Goff (15).

Bridgewater has started only six games over the past three seasons while the others listed all took significant steps back last season.

However, there is a bit of a nice silver lining: the Bills have the best-ranked QBs in the AFC East, edging out the Jets (24), Patriots (28) and Dolphins (30).

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Report: Bills have interest in QB prospect James Morgan

According to Yahoo Sports, Florida International quarterback James Morgan has several teams interested in him at the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. Among them is the Bills, per the report:

Josh Allen doesn’t have any competition for the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback job. Matt Barkley could be getting some for the backup job, though.

According to Yahoo Sports, Florida International quarterback James Morgan has several teams interested in him at the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. Among them is the Bills, per the report:

Morgan will most likely be a Day 3 pick at the upcoming draft. While the Bills don’t have a first-round pick, Buffalo does still have seven total picks in the seven-round selection process thanks to a couple of extra Day 3 picks. Could Morgan be a move there?

Morgan is a true blue football guy, having grown up very close to Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The 6-foot-4, 229 pound senior appears to have some similar traits to Allen. Big arm, but the accuracy is an issue at times. Last season, he only completed 58 percent of his passes, but in 2018, he completed 65.3 percent of them. Last season the FIU QB had 2,585 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 games played.

But unlikely Allen, he’s not exactly a rusher of the ball. He has three career rushing scores but his total rushing yards for his college career is in the negatives, minus-168 yards. But for what it’s worth, Allen wasn’t known as much of a rusher until the NFL himself.

Along with potentially pushing Barkley for a No. 2 spot, Morgan could be a No. 3 QB as well since Buffalo only has Allen and Barkley, who’s also entering the final year of his contract.

 

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Ranking the Bills’ needs after first wave of free agency

With all those moves in mind and as the second week of free agency gets underway, here’s an updated ranking of the Bills’ needs and the offseason rolls on:

The Buffalo Bills attacked the first wave of free agency harder than a lot of teams in the NFL. Not only did the Bills sign unrestricted free agents, but the club retained a few of their own players and traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs as well.

Among the Bills’ actual free agent additions were defensive end Mario Addison, linebacker AJ Klein and defensive tackle Vernon Butler.

With all those moves in mind and as the second week of free agency gets underway, here’s an updated ranking of the Bills’ needs and the offseason rolls on:

Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

1. Defensive end

We’ll start here: A big plus is the Bills really don’t have any glaring needs left on their roster at this point, but let’s start at edge defender.

As mentioned, Addison was added to the Bills’ rotation along their defensive line. Addison is a fantastic story, going from UDFA 10 years ago to a player who had 9.5 sacks last season and at least nine, in total, each of the last four seasons. But what makes this need still high for the Bills is his age.

It’s just a number and there’s reason for optimism that Addison will help Buffalo’s pass rush in 2020, but he’s 32. He joins a group of players who also aren’t exactly youthful either in Jerry Hughes (31) and Trent Murphy (29). Behind those very raw prospects in Mike Love (26), Jonathan Woodard (26) and Darryl Johnson (22).

While the NFL is still in the thick of free agency, the Bills likely won’t address this need until the NFL draft. If you find a “youthful” prospect in free agency, that player is usually 24 or 25. Such players, like Yannick Ngakoue or Jadeveon Clowney, are young, but also entering the prime of their careers and will cost the Bills a lot more than say, a second or third round rookie that can play a rotational role and learn behind Hughes and Addison.

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Brandon Beane: Bills ‘wouldn’t hesitate’ to add backup QB competition

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane on the team’s backup QB situation.

Josh Allen will be the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback again in 2020. In due time, we’ll find out if that’s for better or for worse.

If it’s not meant to be, or in case of an injury bug, the Bills feel confident in backup Matt Barkley, Bills general manager Brandon Beane told the Buffalo News at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine this week. But Beane isn’t one to just sit on his hands, either.

While expressing his trust in Barkley, Beane also said there won’t be a stone left unturned, even if that stone resides in the team’s quarterback room.

“If there’s a guy that we thought could add competition and fit the dynamic, we wouldn’t hesitate to do it,” he said.“Not that we don’t want somebody pushing Josh, but you’ve got to make sure it’s not somebody that’s undercutting Josh’s development and what he’s doing.”

The likely scenario here seems to be that the Bills stick with Barkley. Allen has a dangerous playing style at times, but Barkley has done about as much as you can expect from a backup QB in the NFL. It’s a quarterback league, and there’s not enough to go around, so if you have one you’re OK with, why mess with it?

Behind Barkley is Davis Webb, and perhaps the Bills do bring in a battle for Barkley. Barkley is entering the final year of his contract and only has a $200,000 dead cap hit if he leaves the Bills, per Spotrac.

Really the biggest key for the Bills is off the field. There, by all accounts, Barkley is supportive of Allen. Fans love Barkley too, but the backup QB or backup goalie in hockey is always the most popular guy in Buffalo. But in Barkley, there won’t be any clamor for him to start over Allen. If a high-profile backup comes in, that narrative could change on a dime and be a problem for the Bills.

Plus, Allen has routinely touted how much he appreciates that Barkley is there to provide a veteran voice to help him out. Allen is only the start of Bills players that praise Barkley. When Barkley nearly had to start for Allen (concussion) in October of last season, players were praising the No. 2.

“That’s the type of guy he is even off the field,” said receiver John Brown. “He’s lifting guys up and cheering guys on and he’s the same way on the field.”

“He’s a lot like Josh in that way where guys naturally gravitate toward him. He does a great job of leading guys and making sure everyone is going in the right direction,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said.

Beane certainly has a lot to consider in regard to his backup signal caller.

 

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State of the position: Bills quarterbacks

Here is the state of the Buffalo Bills’ quarterbacks entering the 2020 offseason.

Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, starting with quarterback, including the season that was a projecting forward:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

The Bills quarterback situation is one of the most stable spots on the team’s roster. Josh Allen took some steps forward in his second season in a Buffalo uniform.

Allen started all 16 games, and it’s apparent that the Bills’ brass is all in with supporting Allen. He increased his completion percentage by six percent, doubled his passing touchdowns, decreased the number of interceptions thrown, and improved his passing yards per game by 19. He added nine rushing touchdowns as well.

There’s still some growth that needs to take place in Allen’s game. There were moments when he tried to do a bit too much when better decisions would do. However, as he finds greater consistency throughout his attack and further reduce the number of questionable decisions that occur during games, he will challenge others as a top-10 quarterback in the league.

Backup Matt Barkley played in two games last year, coming in for Allen after the Wyoming product entered concussion protocol in Week 4 against the New England Patriots. He also played the majority of the Week 17 matchup against the New York Jets, a game that reflected more a preseason tilt than anything else.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkle. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Contract situation

Both of Buffalo’s quarterbacks are under contract for the 2020 season. Allen’s cap hit is $5.7 million as part of his rookie contract. He won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2022, so the Bills won’t have to mess around with price increase on their potential franchise quarterback until they revisit his contract for the fifth-year option. Barkley enters the final year of a two-year contract.

The future

Allen is the unquestioned focal point of the Bills offense. Barkley will most likely be the team’s backup for the second-consecutive season.

The only way this situation will change is if Buffalo decides that they can find an upgrade at the position behind Allen, or if the team kept three quarterbacks on their roster moving forward. Davis Webb spent the 2019 season as Buffalo’s “third” QB, but was on the practice squad. If Allen were to miss substantial time, it’s questionable if Barkley could shoulder the load. However, with so much faith is placed in Allen’s hands, it’s not likely Buffalo would make a move to find a quarterback who has any chance of challenging Allen’s reign.

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7 player connections to Cardinals in Bills-Texans wild-card game

See who used to play for the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals did not make it to the postseason but Arizona Cardinals fans can see a few former Cardinals players in the playoffs. The first playoff game of the weekend is between Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. Between the two teams, there are seven former Cardinals.

Let’s check out who they are.

Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Alexander spent two seasons with the Cardinals in 2013-2014. He became a pretty good pass rusher when he got to Buffalo. He had 50 tackles and two sacks in 2019.

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WATCH: Matt Barkley, Isaiah McKenzie in throwing challenge

Buffalo Bills QB Matt Barkley, WR Isaiah McKenzie throwing challenge.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley has an edge on receiver Isaiah McKenzie throwing a football.

But what about every day household items?

There’s only one way to find out, with the video the team released on Thursday which shows the two competing in a best-of-five challenge in throwing… random things:

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