Ranking AFC East teams by quarterback situation after Cam Newton signing
By Lucas Schuh
2. Buffalo Bills
Projected Starting Quarterback: Josh Allen
Backups: Matt Barkley, Davis Webb, Jake Fromm
After the departure of Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills have struggled to make a difference in the NFL. Since the year 2000, the Bills have endured 12 losing seasons but, in the past couple of years, it seems that things may be changing in Buffalo.
Since Sean McDermott arrived as head coach in 2017, the Bills have been on the upswing. He’s helped lead Buffalo to the playoffs twice already, the first coach to do so since the 1990s. McDermott’s also accomplished that with two different quarterback, first with Tyrod Taylor and last season with Josh Allen.
Allen was the No. 7 overall pick in 2018, which was shocking as the team was coming off of the postseason run led by Taylor. They let the veteran walk and the Wyoming product entered the fold. He was a big-armed talent with a cannon but also a prospect with accuracy issues.
The problems with his accuracy have not gone away jumping from college to the NFL. According to Next Gen Stats, he finished last year with a 62.6 expected completion percentage, which ranked 28th in the league. Yes, he took a step forward but he still needs to improve a great deal to become a high-level NFL quarterback.
On the depth chart, Matt Barkley and rookie Jake Fromm will likely battle in training camp and the preseason for the backup job behind Allen. The incumbent starter, though, is the clear-cut option at the position for Buffalo and, if his accuracy improves, he could be an elite player at the position.