ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — While there are plenty of new faces on the field for the Bills as the team continues OTA’s, Buffalo does have consistency at the most important position in the game: franchise quarterback.
“Having talks with some of the long time vets in this game and just understanding that sometimes, they may have been on the same team but they really played with three or four different teams,” said Bills quarterback Josh Allen. “Just understanding that I’m going into year seven now, which is crazy to think about, but I feel like I’m still getting better, still learning a lot.”
The core of the team that Allen played with his first six years is largely gone, from offensive weapons like Stefon Diggs to defensive leaders like Jordan Poyer.
It leaves Allen as one of the five longest tenured players on the Bills, adding more leadership responsibilities to his plate as the team’s franchise quarterback. It’s a role his head coach says the star QB has handled well.
“Everyone sees what happens on Sundays here and how remarkable he is and how he continues to still grow in that area as well,” said Bills head coach Sean McDermott. “Also been neat to watch this spring, and watch his leadership continue to grow and evolve and develop and him being intentional about that.”
Part of that growth involves bringing along some of the new additions, like wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling, who sees similarities in Allen to the previous QB’s he’s played with, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
“I can tell he’s a great leader,” Valdez-Scantling said. “Obviously he can spin the ball and that’s the most important thing, but he also cares about his teammates. Obviously you care about winning and you want to go and win Super Bowls, but caring about the people that you go to war with every day, that’s something I can see that Josh has and those other two guys also had.”
And it’s an area of his game, the Bills quarterback will continue to focus on this offseason.
“Just approaching it as best as I can, as the best leader, the best teammate that I can be here for the Buffalo Bills and ultimately the best quarterback that I can be.”
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