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The Bills need to whittle down to a 53-member roster by August 31 at 4 p.m., which means a lot of tough decisions will be made in the next 24 hours not just in Buffalo, but for every team in the NFL.
While numerous players in every franchise are expected to get cut or traded, it came as a complete surprise when the Bills’ AFC East rival, the New England Patriots, cut quarterback Cam Newton, 32.
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The Boston Globe‘s Jim McBride broke the news on Tuesday, reporting that the new starting quarterback under coach Bill Belichick will be Mac Jones. The Alabama alum, who turns 23 in September, will be the first rookie QB to start on opening day for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, per Buffalo Bills Rumblings.
With Newton gone, Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen becomes the oldest starting quarterback in the AFC East at age 25 and the longest-tenured with three years under his belt. Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, is 23 years old, and New York Jets’ Zach Wilson is 22 years old.
Naturally, Twitter had a field day with Allen’s new status. To be the AFC East’s “OG” at age 25 is a crazy stat.
While there are plenty of jokes to be made, Allen’s age and experience give the Bills a leg up on the competition.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah tweeted, “BUF is the best team in the AFC East. They just (wisely) paid Josh Allen a boatload of money. The other three teams in the division have some catching up to do and now they each employ a very cheap/rookie contract QB for the next several years. Time to load up around them.”
Allen Appears Ready to Dominate the 2021 NFL Season
Allen showed exactly why Buffalo offered him a six-year $253 contract this summer in his brief appearance in the Bills’ third and final preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. The franchise star completed his first eight passes, was 10-of-11 on the opening drive, which ended in a 31-yard touchdown to Gabriel Davis. He finished his day with a 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended on a 3-yard touchdown with running back Zack Moss.
If last season is any indication, the Bills are in fantastic hands with Allen at the helm. During the 2020 NFL season, the MVP runner-up amassed 4,544 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes, and as ESPN reported, increased his completion percentage from 58.8% to 69.2% and his rating from 85.3 to 107.2. Proving his versatility at quarterback, he also scored eight rushing touchdowns along with a touchdown reception.
The NFL Ranked Allen as the No. 10 Overall Player for the 2021 Season
Following Allen’s stellar performance on Saturday, the NFL released the rest of the preseason rankings, and the Bills quarterback nabbed the No.10 spot.
While there will be many who believe Allen should be ranked higher, it’s a huge jump from last year’s rankings, where he was ranked No. 87 in the NFL’s Top 100.
Other Bills joining Allen on the list were Stefon Diggs (11), Tre’Davious White (95), and Cole Beasley (96).
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