Bills HC Sean McDermott Reveals Major Change in Josh Allen This Year

Getty Bills quarterback Josh Allen at Highmark Stadium on November 19, 2023.

Even as he prepares to enter his seventh NFL season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is still finding new ways to grow.

As Allen and teammates kicked off training camp on July 24, Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared some praise for the strides the quarterback had made. McDermott pointed particularly to Allen’s leadership, saying there is a noticeable increase in the role Allen is playing with teammates.

“I’ve noticed a ratcheted-up form of Josh [Allen] from a leadership standpoint,” McDermott told reporters before the team’s Wednesday morning practice, via reporter Sal Capaccio on X.

Josh Allen’s New Role

Allen’s leadership was on display even before the team met for training camp. When the Bills were searching for veteran receivers to replace the departed Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, Allen took an active role in helping recruit former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Valdes-Scantling said when he came to Buffalo for a free agent visit, Allen invited him to dinner at his house with some of the members of the coaching staff.

ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the two formed a quick connection during the visit.

“Part of the back-story with Marquez Valdes-Scantling signing with Buffalo: Josh Allen had him over to his house for dinner Monday night as part of the receiver’s free agent visit,” Fowler wrote. “The two hit it off, and MVS decided that night he wanted to be a Bill.”

Valdes-Scantling, who ended up signing with the Bills, said Allen’s offer made the visit stand out.

“Usually when you come on a visit, you go out to eat with the staff and talk with them. And Josh was like, ‘No, why don’t you just come over to the house,’” Valdes-Scantling said.

Allen has helped in recruiting players before, though not showing as much initiative as he did this offseason. Bills general manager Brandon Beane called Allen in the 2022 offseason to ask for his help in recruiting pass rusher Von Miller. Allen agreed, but on the condition that the team also bring back his friend and onetime mentor Matt Barkley.

Bills Quarterback Working on Weaknesses

Allen has also been working on more than just his leadership skills. The Bills quarterback worked with a California-based sports science company to record his throwing motion and correct inefficiencies.

Allen told Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle that he suffered a shoulder injury early in the 2023 season that nagged throughout the year, forcing him to tweak his throwing motion. Rather than allow the change to turn into a bad habit, Allen said, he wanted to make sure it was corrected before the coming season started.

“I wouldn’t call it a complete overhaul of my throwing motion, but definitely some things to work on and clean up,” Allen said. “Anytime you go through something like that, sometimes it’s gonna feel really good, sometimes it’s not gonna feel really good. It’s just like changing your swing in golf, as long as you’re trusting it and you keep working on it, each and every day results will come.”