Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen is not the problem. Allen has matured into an MVP for the Bills, leading them to five straight AFC East titles and their first playoff wins in decades. Bills GM Brandon Beane, however, may want to consider a different strategy for Allen's backup.
Many teams with star quarterbacks punt on a backup. Why invest a valuable mid-round pick in a player that will never play unless the teams' Pro Bowl starter is injured, in which case the season is doomed anyway? Seems to make sense.
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The Athletic's Tim Graham offers a different take, one that worked very well for the New England Patriots when they had Tom Brady behind center. The Patriots consistently used anywhere from a 2nd to 6th round pick to draft a young backup for Brady. They then developed that player over the first few years of his cheap rookie deal, providing them a competent backup like a Matt Cassell or Jimmy Garrapolo.
"That’s the most attractive scenario: selecting a quarterback who serves a role, provides insurance for three seasons and develops to the point of being traded or leaving as a free agent that gooses the compensatory draft formula, " Graham wrote.
One would be hard-pressed to find a mock draft that has the Bills picking a quarterback to backup Allen, even with a late round pick, especially given their defensive needs and the fact that this draft class is light on QB talent. Beane and Bills do, however, have 10 picks. If a QB of early round value falls mid-to-late, this may not be a bad strategy. It certainly worked for their AFC rival Patriots.
