One of the Buffalo Bills free agent signings this offseason, John Brown, is off to fast start with his new team.
The Buffalo Bills had their first practice in pads on Saturday but that didn’t slow down wide receiver John Brown who has clearly already developed a strong connection with quarterback Josh Allen. The two have looked like they have been playing together for years and have been on the same page for the entire training camp.
According to Matt Parrino, the Allen to Brown connection was working on Saturday as the second-year quarterback found Brown for two long balls.
"Josh Allen found new receiver John Brown several times early in camp, but the connection was strengthened Saturday. Allen hit Brown on two long balls, one along the left sideline and then on a seam route toward the center of the field."
One of the biggest weaknesses in this offense last year was the team did not have a true number one wide receiver. That one player that Josh Allen could rely on when they needed a big catch. The team tried it with Kelvin Benjamin, which was a disaster, and Zay Jones started to fill that role towards the end of the year.
However, Brown is a receiver that could really blossom with a quarterback like Allen, who has the big arm to get the ball down the field. Brown is entering his sixth season in the league but has never had great quarterbacks throwing to him, except for 2015. That season, with a full year of Carson Palmer, John Brown finished with 1,003 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, both career highs.
The veteran can also have an impact on the other receivers on this team, like Jones or Robert Foster, as he draws more attention from defenses that can free up winnable matchups for the other receivers.
Hopefully the Josh Allen to John Brown connection will continue to develop and they can replicate what they have shown in training camp during the regular season.