Buffalo Bills: The move that defines the 2018 season

The Buffalo Bills decided to go all in on a rookie quarterback in 2018. That move stands out as the one that defines the season.

Every team starts the year with some level of optimism. The Buffalo Bills were given optimism and a fresh start by drafting Josh Allen.

Fast forward to now and Bills fans have seen some great play from Allen. Unfortunately, it has come during a losing season.

A recent article on NFL Mocks went through every NFL team to pick out one move that defines each team’s 2018 season. For the Bills, drafting Allen was the move that stood out the most.

From the article:

"Allen has come to the Bills and done a much better job than I think most expected him to considering his struggles in college.Allen has shown some of the same boom-or-bust potential in the NFL he had in college, but he’s morphed into a much better runner than I think anyone ever imagined. He looks like a young Cam Newton running around out there, and that’s not just hyperbole. He looks like one of the best running quarterbacks in the league."

Taking a quarterback so high means a team is looking at that player as the future of the franchise. That is the case with Allen and while the early returns haven’t been astounding, he is still doing well enough to be the clear choice at quarterback heading into 2019.

In addition to drafting Allen, moving on from Tyrod Taylor is a defining move. The team decided to move on from the veteran after a playoff appearance in favor of a top rookie quarterback. Taylor played well in Buffalo, yet it was clear he was not going to take the team to that next level.

Can Allen do that? We don’t yet know. However, the team was smart to move on from Taylor if there was no interest in committing to him for the future.

The decision just adds pressure to the front office, as Allen’s success or failure will ultimately define Brandon Beane’s time in Buffalo.