Former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst Chris Simms finally got to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in his yearly offseason QB rankings.
But the longer the wait, the better, so that’s a good statement.
In Simms’ 2020 rankings that he’s releasing on his podcast, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, Allen moves on up from last season, landing at No. 18 overall, an improvement from No. 23.
In Allen, Simms says he sees a guy that’s still raw, but has shown enough in a variety of ways that convinces him that Allen’s a top-20 QB in the NFL entering his third season.
“The stats don’t say it all about Josh Allen, again, context matters. Josh Allen puts a lot of pressure on the defense with all the different things he can do at the quarterback position,” Simms said.
“He’s unbelievable at extending plays, he’s a great scrambler, and he’s an absolute baller of throwing the ball on the run. I mean, he makes some plays when the pocket breaks downs and throws down field that I just sit there and go ‘Woah.’ It’s Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers stuff, at times, the throws he makes,” Simms added. “He’s not scared of any throw.”
In terms of the rest of Simms’ rankings, there’s plenty of other good news for Allen. First, he’s the best quarterback on the list in terms of the AFC East. Others included at the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (40) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (28), the Patriots’ Jarrett Stidham (35) and the Jets’ Sam Darnold (23). In addition, Allen also beats out Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (21), who was the first-overall pick in his 2018 draft class.
Simms releases a few QBs to add to the list per podcast and even that company is nice for Allen, too. The Bills QB was the first one mentioned on the podcast, but the three ahead of him are some veterans who are among the all-time greats in Phillip Rivers (17), Drew Brees (16) and Tom Brady (15). Not bad company.
[lawrence-related id=64292,64288,64272,64266]