Josh Allen has been hearing for years that he needs to do a better job of protecting himself, and the Buffalo Bills quarterback may finally take those concerns into consideration next season.
Allen told reporters on Tuesday that he understands he is getting to the point where he needs to think more about being a quarterback than just a football player. While he did not say he is planning to make an immediate drastic change, he said it is something he has thought about.
“I’m getting older. I can’t continue to do this. … Over the course of my career, I’m going to have to learn to adapt and change. I’ve always had the mindset of being a football player first and a quarterback second and at some point, that’s going to have to switch,” Allen said.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said earlier this offseason that the amount of hits Allen has taken is “absolutely” concerning to him. Allen is 6-foot-5 and 238 pounds, so his big frame can absorb a lot of hits. He initiates a lot of those collisions, however, which is what the Bills do not want to see as much of.
The Bills have been trying to get Allen to slide more for a long time. One veteran player even came up with a hilarious way to incentivize Allen to do just that.
Allen finished with 762 rushing yards last season to go along with his 4,283 passing yards. He also had seven scores on the ground. Buffalo’s offense would be a lot less effective if Allen significantly reduced his rushing attempts, but he can certainly improve with protecting himself. We may see him start to do that more in 2023.
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