Bills QB Josh Allen continues his growth as a leader in Year 7 with team entering new era

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Although there are plenty of new faces on the field for the Bills as the team continues OTAs, Buffalo is showing consistency at the game’s most important position: franchise quarterback .

“I talked to some of the long-time veterans of that game and I just realized that sometimes they might have been on the same team, but they actually played with three or four different teams,” he said. Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. “I just understand that I’m going into seventh grade now, which is crazy to think about, but I feel like I’m still improving and still learning a lot.”

The core of the team Allen played with during his first six years is largely gone, from offensive weapons like Stefon Diggs to defensive leaders like Jordan Poyer.

That leaves Allen as one of the Bills’ five longest-tenured players, adding more leadership responsibilities to his role as the team’s franchise quarterback. It’s a role his head coach says the star QB has handled well.

“Everybody sees what’s happening here on Sunday and how remarkable he is and how he continues to grow in that area as well,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said. “It was also interesting to watch this spring, and see his leadership continue to grow and evolve and develop and him being intentional about it.”

Part of that growth involves the arrival of some of the new additions, like receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling, who sees similarities in Allen with previous QBs he played with, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

“I can say he’s a great leader,” Valdez-Scantling said. “Obviously he can run the ball and that’s the most important thing, but he also cares about his teammates. Obviously you care about winning and you want to win the Super Bowl, but caring about the people that you go to war with every day is something that I can see Josh and those other two guys having as well. .

And that’s an area of ​​his game the Bills quarterback will continue to focus on this offseason.

“I’m approaching it the best I can, as the best leader, the best teammate I can be here for the Buffalo Bills and ultimately the best quarterback I can be.”