When the 2018 NFL Draft was approaching, there were plenty of teams that were in need of getting a quarterback. The Buffalo Bills were one of those teams after they traded away Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns one month before the draft. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott were ready to acquire their franchise quarterback to help turn the Bills around. Going into the first night of the draft, the Bills had the 12th and 22nd pick and all signs were pointing to them making a trade to get up into the top ten to get their quarterback.
The Bills wouldn’t have been able to get guys like Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold as they both went in the top three. So, there was Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen as the remaining top three quarterbacks. After the Browns picked cornerback Denzel Ward with the 4th overall pick, the Denver Broncos were on the clock at No. 5.
The general manager at the time, John Elway, had the chance to pick a top player that could change the future of the Broncos. Quarterback Case Keenum had signed with Denver to be the play caller under center before the draft. Maybe the Broncos could have drafted a quarterback to develop behind Keenum. Instead, Elway opted to draft defensive end Bradley Chubb who was considered one of the top overall prospects in the draft.
Taking Chubb was not a bad pick at the time, but looking back at it, Elway could have had the chance to draft quarterback Josh Allen who was drafted two spots later by the Bills. Via Pardon My Take (posted by NFL on CBS), Elways revealed that his biggest regret as a general manager was not drafting Allen.
John Elway said he regrets not drafting Josh Allen back in the 2018 NFL Draft 👀
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) July 29, 2024
via @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/jef6loDQij
Chubb played just four and a half seasons in Denver but a torn ACL in 2019 and missed over half of the season in 2021 due to an ankle injury. After a promising rookie season where he finished with 12 sacks, Chubb had a tough time staying healthy and his production went downhill. He was eventually traded to the Miami Dolphins where he now faces Josh Allen twice a year.
On the other side, Allen has become a top three quarterback in the league and is in the MVP conversation year in and year out. After an up-and-down first two seasons, Allen solidified himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has led the Bills to four consecutive AFC East titles.
Bills Mafia should be very thankful that the Broncos opted to trust Keenum at quarterback rather than stealing Allen away from the Bills. The Broncos are now starting over at quarterback with Bo Nix after they attempted to make a run with Russell Wilson, which we all know how that turned out.