Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was asked one question on Tuesday about the quarterback position at his pre-draft press conference: When will the team work out an extension with Josh Allen?
There was no need to break down overhyped prospects or get into an analysis of the quarterback board. The Bills have their franchise guy, and he wants to be in Buffalo for years to come.
What a great spot to be in.
Meanwhile, everybody else in the AFC East is scrambling.
The Bills know what it’s like to swing and miss on early round quarterbacks. They spent first round picks on J.P. Losman and E.J. Manuel, and neither one was even remotely close to average. They put up the following combined numbers in Buffalo: 58.9% completion rate, 53 touchdowns, 49 interceptions, 76.5 quarterback rating.
The Bills went 16-34 with Losman and Manuel under center.
The New York Jets are stuck in the terrible quarterback carousal, due to bad talent evaluation and widespread instability. That’s the other thing Losman and Manuel had working against them: they each played under two different head coaches — never mind an array of offensive coordinators.
Head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll are entering their fourth season together. Under their watch, Allen has blossomed into a star. He finished second in MVP voting last season.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the Gang Green will, undoubtedly, select their second first round quarterback in four years. Sam Darnold regressed mightily under Adam Gase, and now finds himself in Carolina with the Panthers.
Once again, the Jets are starting anew. Best of luck to Zach Wilson.
But at least the Jets possess some sort of plan. The same can’t be said for the New England Patriots, who for 20 years got to avoid this franchise-ruining game — all thanks to the perfect sixth round pick. This time, it’s unlikely they’ll be so lucky.
Nobody seems to know what the Patriots are going to do. Draft guru Mel Kiper has them trading up for Josh Fields; NFL Network's Peter Schrager says they’ll move up for a wide receiver. History says Bill Belichick will probably do neither. He’s never traded into the top-10 of the draft with the Patriots.
If the pattern holds, that means Cam Newton will likely be under center Week 1. He threw a rousing eight touchdowns last season — three of which came against the Jets in a meaningless contest.
Aside from Buffalo, the Miami Dolphins have the most stable quarterback situation in the division, but that may be giving Tua Tagovailoa too much credit. Remember: he was pulled for Ryan Fitzpatrick in multiple key spots last season.
Everything in the NFL falls from the quarterback. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Allen’s presence will allow the Bills to fill up the rest of their roster each season, and take full advantage of value sitting on the board. They can be methodical — not desperate. The Bills are building off an AFC Championship season. That’s quite a foundation work with.
They are light years ahead of their division rivals.