Josh Allen is back in the news today, courtesy of a compliment from an NFL analyst who's seen it all for four-plus decades.
Greg Cosell of ESPN and NFL Films, guest-writing for Football Morning in America in place of the vacationing Peter King, described the fourth-year Bill as "the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL."
That's about the best praise Allen can get coming off a season in which he finished second in the league's MVP voting behind fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay.
Cosell cautioned that it doesn't mean Allen is the best or will become the best quarterback in the league.
"Whether he develops into the best quarterback in the NFL is a different question, one that remains to be answered," Cosell wrote. "Remember, Allen is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. Think about that for a moment. I have stood right next to him, and he is a big man. I stood a few feet away watching him throw, and I have never seen a ball come out of the hand of a passer like it does with Allen. It was otherworldly.
"The name that often comes up, and rightly so, when the talk is of the most physically talented quarterbacks of all time is John Elway. Allen is a much bigger man than Elway. Allen is the most intriguing quarterback I have watched and evaluated in all my years at NFL Films. It would not surprise me at all if we soon call Allen the most physically gifted quarterback the league has ever seen. Stay tuned."
Allen took some giant steps toward becoming the actual finest in the league last season, following a trade that landed wide receiver Stefon Diggs in Buffalo, allowing offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to open up the offense.
The result was Allen completing 69.2% of his passes while amassing 4,544 yards and 37 TD passes while being intercepted just 10 times. Diggs finished with league highs of 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards as the Bills outscored all but one team (Green Bay) in 2020.
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