Buffalo Bills: Why QB Josh Allen could have breakout sophomore campaign

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen performed admirably during his rookie season but looks set to break out in his sophomore campaign.

The Buffalo Bills got a good look at quarterback Josh Allen during the 2018 season, with the rookie being inconsistent at times in the passing game while excelling on the ground.

In 11 starts for the Bills, the former Wyoming gunslinger completed just 52.8% of pass attempts, throwing for 2074 total yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

His 631 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns helped Allen earn a 5-6-0 record in his 11 starts, despite having one of the weakest offences in the entire league last season.

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Allen’s top two targets last season were Zay Jones and Robert Foster, with the latter being added to the team’s practice squad before being reactivated to the main roster in mid-November.

Heading into his second season in the NFL, Allen is expected to make significant progress and prove he was worth the seventh-overall pick in the 2018 draft.

There will be a number of differences for the Bills’ offence in 2019, with new additions both along the trenches and in the passing and running game that should help Allen continue his development.

The biggest area that required improvements this year was the team’s receiver corps, with very few options outside of Jones and Foster in the 2018 campaign.

Once free agency began, the Bills splashed the cash to help bolster their offence and brought on board four new receivers to try and give Allen more weapons.

D’haquille ‘Duke’ Williams was brought on board after two successful seasons in the CFL, followed closely by Cole Beasley, John Brown and Andre Roberts – all of whom are expected to play a key role on the team.

Giving Allen more options in the passing game should allow the second-year pro the opportunity to spread the ball around, causing problems for opposing defences.

But boosting the passing game requires the young QB to remain on his feet more often, which the Buffalo Bills also addressed with a number of crucial free agent signings along the offensive line.

Mitch Morse, Spencer Long, Ty Nsekhe and Jon Feliciano are the biggest names added to the trenches that are expected to provide Allen with far more protection, giving the second-year QB more opportunities to get the ball away.

The Bills also selected Cody Ford out of Oklahoma in the second round (38th overall) of the 2019 draft, with the young guard expected to compete for a starting role immediately.

Allen has also had more time this off-season to go through offensive coordinator Brian Daboll‘s playbook, working on improving his understanding of the finer details to put himself in the best possible position to succeed heading into the new season.

The young QB has reportedly looked good in OTAs this spring and if Allen, who has been surrounded by a number of new weapons, which also includes Frank Gore, Devin Singletary, and T.J. Yeldon in the backfield, is able to make the right steps forward, he could have a very special season indeed.

What do you think Bills Mafia? Are you pleased with the situation surrounding Allen? Do you think he will have a breakout season in 2019? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!