Getty Josh Allen celebrates a win over the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills have a newly expanded role for Josh Allen’s quarterback coach.
Assistant coach Ken Dorsey has been praised for helping Allen take an almost unprecedented jump between his second and third seasons, molding him into one of the league’s best quarterbacks and an MVP candidate. Now, the Bills are giving Dorsey a bigger role in the offense in what one insider says could be an attempt to keep him from leaving Buffalo.
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Dorsey Moving Up
As Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, the team at some point this offseason added the title “passing game coordinator” to Dorsey’s mantle, upgrading him from being listed simply as the quarterbacks coach. Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 pointed out that the Bills made no official announcement about Dorsey’s title, but it was reflected in his team bio.
As Wojton noted, the move could be an attempt to keep Dorsey solidly in Buffalo after rumors this offseason that he was being considered for some higher-profile jobs.
“Considering the team never made any sort of formal announcement on Dorsey’s promotion, one could probably assume doing so could be a way to strengthen the team’s hold on him… or at least give him better reason to stay,” Wojton wrote.
Looks like #Bills coach Ken Dorsey was given promotion: t.co/WPTF86qXt8
As the Buffalo News noted at the end of last season, Dorsey was seen as a candidate to land the offensive coordinator job in Detroit. Wojton also noted that Dorsey was rumored to be in line to take over as offensive coordinator if Brian Daboll were to have snagged a head coaching position.
The promotion for Dorsey comes ahead of what is expected to be a major investment in his star pupil. The Bills have been in discussions on a contract extension for Allen, who is reportedly willing to work with the team on a deal that would make him one of the top-paid quarterbacks in the league but leave enough room for Buffalo to remain a contender.
“I’m told that Allen loves being in Buffalo enough where he’s willing to structure things, ya know, that helps the team a little bit. Certainly, he’s not going to take a discount by any stretch—he’s a top-five quarterback,” Jeremy Fowler said on ESPN, via Bleacher Report. “But he wants them to stay competitive in future years with him in the fold.”
Bills Value Quarterback Coach
After Dorsey helped to shape Allen into one of the league’s top signal-callers, the Bills used the strength of their quarterback coaches to attract one of the league’s top backups. When Buffalo signed former Chicago Bears starter Mitch Trubisky to play behind Allen, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the strength of their quarterback coach was a big part of the pitch.
“What we sold to him and his agent is, ‘Just come here for a reboot. Work with Josh Allen and our other quarterbacks, Jake Fromm (and) Davis Webb, (offensive coordinator) Brian Daboll and (quarterbacks coach) Ken Dorsey,” Beane said in a March interview on SiriusXM NFL radio. “Come here, have a reset year and just be a part of what we’re doing here.”
In our countdown to #Bills training camp, QB Mitchell Trubisky Projects as their 18th most valuable player for 2021. #BillsMafia t.co/yXybFEiFYu
The pitch worked, with Trubisky reportedly turning down higher offers to take a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Bills.
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