The Buffalo Bills are hoping quarterback Josh Allen returns healthy and motivated after playing through a broken foot in last year’s doomed playoff run, but the team could be putting too much pressure on their former MVP.
The Bills have not made many big investments in their quarterback depth, bringing back little-proven veteran Kyle Allen for a second stint backing up Josh Allen. One NFL insider believes the Bills could be playing with fire, risking a potential blowup at the worst time.
Bills Could Face Trouble if Kyle Allen Needs to Play
SI.com’s Gilberto Manzano ranked all of the NFL’s backup quarterbacks, putting Kyle Allen at No. 29. Manzano noted the Bills may have a soft point behind their starter.
“It’s a bit surprising that the Bills, who are in win-now mode, don’t have better options behind Josh Allen. Then again, if the perennial MVP candidate goes down due to injury, this team has slim hopes for winning a Super Bowl,” Manzano wrote.
Manzano added that other top teams have needed to lean on backup quarterbacks at important times, including the Kansas City Chiefs. After Patrick Mahomes was hurt in the divisional round in 2020, backup Chad Henne navigated the team to a win and a trip to the AFC Championship game.
“Still, the decision to trust Kyle Allen as the backup could hurt the Bills at the worst time. Oftentimes, backups are just needed for a quarter or a game—or in the AFC title game,” Manzano wrote. “Allen has played eight seasons, but most of his starting experience came in 2019 when he started 12 games for the Panthers and he hasn’t done much since. However, Josh Allen and the Bills seem to really like the other Allen after bringing him back to Buffalo for a second stint.”
Josh Allen’s Foot on the Mend
Allen was able to finish out the season with a broken foot, which he suffered in a December win over the Cleveland Browns. The Bills quarterback underwent surgery after the season ended, appearing with crutches and a foot brace at a press conference introducing new head coach Joe Brady.
The Bills quarterback said he had a bone piece taken out — and had an unusual request about it.
“A little piece of bone just kind of broke off and was floating there,” Allen said, via The Athletic. “So they went in, took it out — like a small rock. They just cut her out, leave it on the table, sew it back up, and scar tissue will form around it, and it feels really good right now.”
The injury appears to have healed, with Allen showing up for all of the team’s optional practices so far — and earning praise from Brady for it.
“He’s got a lot going on in his life,” Brady said. “It’s hard for me to tell other people, ‘Hey, man, I’d love for you to be here,’ but the guy I’ve been spending so much time with so many years, he wasn’t here, right? That was important to me.
“It was a great tone-setter because everybody understands how important the organization, the Bills, everything we do is for him and to him. That was a life change, and for him to be, like, ‘OK, but I also got a job to do. I’m going to come be with my guys and do what I have to do.’ Speaks to kind of who he is.”
Bills Face ‘Worst’ Case Warning Behind QB Josh Allen