Bills Urged to Trade for 49ers QB Sam Darnold

Reports swirled throughout training camp that quarterback Kyle Allen, whom the Buffalo Bills signed this offseason to be Josh Allen’s backup, was seriously struggling, and following his weak performance in the preseason opener, his days as QB2 appear to be numbered.

After presumptive third-stringer Matt Barkley outperformed Kyle Allen during the Bills’ 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, August 12, The Athletic‘s Joe Buscaglia urged Buffalo to find a replacement elsewhere, and quickly, since neither appear serviceable.

Buscaglia believes Bills general manager Brandon Beane should monitor the San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation. “Brock Purdy appears to be the starter, which could make Sam Darnold or Trey Lance available via trade.

“The best-case scenario for the Bills would be if they could trade for Darnold, who is tight with Josh Allen and is someone the Bills have long been fans of since the 2018 draft process. Regardless of who it is, if Beane isn’t satisfied with the backup situation, he could make a move to quickly improve it.”

Last season, in six starts, Darnold completed 58.6% of his passes for 1,143 yards with seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and six fumbles. His passer rating was 92.6, a career-high for the USC alum.

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Sam Darnold was Floated as a Backup Option Before Kyle Allen was Signed

Amid rumors that last year’s backup Case Keenum would not return for the 2023 NFL season, he ultimately left this to sign a two-year deal with the Houston Texans, The Buffalo News‘ Katherine Fitzgerald suggested Darnold as a top option for QB2.

She wrote in February, “There aren’t a ton of options who meet the sweet spot of: 1. Financially attainable; 2. Have desirable experience (but not so much that they’ll land a starting job); and 3. Aren’t even older than Keenum (35).” As for Darnold, who turned 26 in June, he “passes the ‘he is friends with Josh’ test,'” and good chemistry in the quarterbacks’ room is a top priority for Allen.

Darnold, the former No. 3 overall pick from from the 2018 NFL Draft, spent the first three seasons of his career with the New York Jets and two years with the Carolina Panthers before signing with the Niners this offseason. San Francisco inked Darnold to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, which could be worth up to $11.5 million in incentives, per NFL.com.

As it stands, Darnold’s role with the Niners is unclear, but head coach Kyle Shanahan is “excited” to see how he performs in their preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, August 13, Pro Football Talk

“I think Sam’s gotten better each practice,” Shanahan said. “It’s his first time in this offense and I’ve been really encouraged with just how he spits the plays out, how he can call them, where he is now compared to the first couple of days. He doesn’t seem like it’s his first time going through it, so he’s getting better each week getting more comfortable and I’m excited to see him in some of these games.”

PFT’s Myles Simmons doesn’t see the 6-foot-3 quarterback getting traded. He wrote, “Darnold has a real shot to become San Francisco’s backup quarterback. And that’s a position that has historically needed to start at least a game or two in Shanahan’s tenure.”

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Matt Barkley (Or Kyle Allen) Can Still Earn the QB2 Role

While Barkley completed 12-of-13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday, “All his time came against Colts third-string defenders, and his “lack of zip on his throws likely would have gotten him into trouble against better defenders,” Buscaglia wrote.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott didn’t hesitate during Saturday’s postgame presser when asked if the QB2 competition was wide open. “Yes,” he said. It will interesting to see which quarterback gets to play agains the second-team defenders during the Bills next preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kyle Allen finished on Saturday completing 8-of-15 passes for 122 and one interception, and while WROC-TV‘s Thad Brown believes he’s “probably still a ways away from any real QB2 danger,” Buscaglia disagrees.

“Things can still change, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Bills’ 2023 backup quarterback is not currently on the team,” Buscaglia surmised. “Some will argue that the backup doesn’t matter because if Josh Allen is out, the season likely will unravel anyway. However, that isn’t how Beane has operated recently with the position. He knows they’re in a Super Bowl window, and if Allen has to miss some games, having a solid replacement who can keep things afloat is worth a lot.”

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