Josh Allen Said To Be Running Football: Limitations Required?

In just six plays and three minutes and 24 seconds, Josh Allen covered 70 yards, demonstrating to everyone that he is prepared for the 2022 season.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback scrambled for 5.2 seconds before firing a precise 28-yard ball to recipient Gabriel Davis for a score during that drive in a Week 2 preseason game against the Denver Broncos.

In order to release pressure, Allen remarked, “I just kind of put my head down and did a little 360.” I wasn’t really attempting to do that, but I just intended to obtain some room to get the ball off because I knew I didn’t want to run.

Running and scrambling are crucial components of Allen’s strategy. The same goes for tucking the ball and gaining ground with his legs. Over the course of the previous four seasons, the quarterback for the Bills extended numerous drives by running over defenders to advance the ball. Last season, he was second among all NFL quarterbacks with 54 rushing first downs, trailing only Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia.

But as this club enters the season with Super Bowl ambitions, the short, effective preseason drive against the Broncos was also a reminder of exactly how crucial the quarterback is to this team. It will be crucial for new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who is calling plays for the first time, to balance the potential reward of Allen’s planned runs with the danger of injury.

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The planned run plays for Allen “will be predicated off of a choice we make that week on kind of what we need to help us win a football game,” Dorsey said. That, along with ensuring sure Josh and we are both in the most significant possible positions to succeed for our team, will undoubtedly be the primary deciding factors for us.

Allen led the Bills in both rushing first downs and first downs per rush in 2021 (44.3%). According to NFL Next Gen Stats, his 310 rushing yards beyond projections were the most of any quarterback in the NFL. There is no denying that Allen’s stature (6’5″, 237 lbs.) and rushing prowess come into play when he runs.

 

However, maintaining the quarterback’s health for a lengthy season is top priority. Last season, on a 23-yard rush against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, Allen suffered a left ankle injury but was able to continue playing. Allen entered the postgame news conference without missing a beat, but wearing a boot served as a reminder of the danger inherent in his sprinting.

Following the game, former Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians claimed that “Allen is more like [quarterback] Cam Newton, but with a bigger and stronger arm.” “We discussed how difficult quarterback runs are. My quarterback did receive a little injury so that I wouldn’t put him in such danger.

Only Lamar Jackson (710) has endured more quarterback hits since 2018 than Allen (610).

General manager Brandon Beane wants Allen to prioritize not taking hits too early in the year in order to reduce that number.

After the 2021 season, Beane referred to Allen’s approach as “a linebacker playing NFL.” Josh Allen and Dorsey choosing which situations to let the quarterback take those risks wouldn’t come as a surprise.