Nate Burleson of “Good Morning Football” names Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen as his candidate for the most improved second-year player in 2019.
Buffalo Bills second-year quarterback Josh Allen has been no stranger to praise in the 2019 off-season. Along with Bills legends Jim Kelly and Kyle Williams, NFL Network’s Nate Burleson of the ‘Good Morning Football’ crew has joined the list of former pros to laud Allen and his development.
On the shows most recent episode, Burleson said the quarterback would be the most improved second-year player of 2019; citing his highlight-reel style of play, progression, and the team’s rebuilt offense as reasons why. He projects Allen to leap year-two, stating;
"For me, I feel like we are going to see that leap from his passing perspective. — Sitting back, being a traditional quarterback, dropping back and doing his thing. I know he’s athletic, but I hope I don’t see as much running next season. Their running back room, they got all the OG’s — so he’s going to be able to hand it off to absolute legends of this era."
Allen had an up and down rookie year, with the end of the season displaying his sky-high potential. His late season 3-3 run highlighted by his 1,718 total yards and 13 total touchdowns must’ve played a part in Burleson’s prediction for improvement. Equally as impactful is the team general manager Brandon Beane has surrounded the signal-caller with.
The Bills have built a legitimate offensive line and brought in a bevy of pass-catchers in the off-season. For Burleson, their most effective transaction concerning Allen’s predicted improvement came by way of slot specialist Cole Beasley, as he said;
"I feel like Cole Beasley could be his Julian Edelman. A guy that he can count on. — Once Josh drops back, and last season when he had that moment where he thought run, he doesn’t have to run anymore, he can have the safety receiver [Beasley] that he can constantly go to."
Burleson’s trust in Beasley to be Allen’s “safety valve” is just. Though he’s a smaller guy (5-foot-8), he blossomed into Dak Prescott‘s consistent, go-to target in Dallas. In the last three seasons, he’s caught 166 passes for 1,819 yards and 12 touchdowns while working from the slot. Per Pro Football Focus, Beasley has a 105.6 career passer rating when targeted.
Beasley’s proficiency as a short yardage, horizontal route-runner should play a significant impact on Allen’s development. He will give the Wyoming product quick, open looks consistently. With the slot receiver joining a Bills offense lined with speed, Burleson’s prediction may be right.
Time and time again, in 2018, Bills Mafia was left wondering, “how good will Josh Allen be with a team around him?” In 2019, that won’t be the case. If Allen lives up to his lofty expectations or even shows some progress next season on a much better team, he could be the most improved second-year player in the league.