Second and third-year NFL players ready to break out in 2019

#2 Josh Allen

When you look at the numbers of this seventh overall pick they seem very underwhelming – 52.8 completion percentage and more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (10) over 11 starts. However, the supporting cast Allen had as a rookie might have been the worst in the entire league. I know Zay Jones ultimately led Buffalo in receiving yards because he was a starter in all but one game, but Allen basically made undrafted free agent Robert Foster a number one receiver from week ten on.

After that Jason Croom was next in terms of yards through the air – Jason freaking Croom. Allen led all quarterbacks with over 600 yards rushing, with almost all of that coming off scrambles, oftentimes on crucial third downs to extend drives. A lot of that had to do with a lackluster O-line that was in the bottom ten in QB hits allowed despite the rookie taking off as much as he did.

They also didn’t manage to take pressure off the rookie by opening up holes in the run game, as Allen averaged twice as many yards per carry (7.1) as the rest of the team did (3.5). If you take away one fluky 41-10 destruction of the Jets, where that entire team simply didn’t show up, the Bills averaged less than six points per game with anybody else starting under center, not reaching 10 points or winning any of those four contests.

Over the offseason, the Bills added a multitude of free agents, including one of the best centers in the league in Mitch Morse, wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley, tight end Tyler Kroft and the ageless Frank Gore as well as a pass-catching T.J. Yeldon in the backfield.

Plus, they also drafted Oklahoma’s Cody Ford to man one of those spots on the right side, a mini-Shay McCoy in FAU’s Devin Singletary and a talented, yet heavily under-utilized tight end in Ole Miss’ Dawson Knox. All that combined with what I think will be a top-tier defense, I could see the rocket-arm QB make a huge jump in year two.