Bills Central

Bills QB Josh Allen has ‘gotten into a groove’ with this veteran WR

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen feels as though he's built a solid chemistry with veteran wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Kyle Silagyi

Bills wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling pulls in a pass and races upfield during route drills.
Bills wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling pulls in a pass and races upfield during route drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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In need of veteran experience and additional speed on the boundary in the wake of significant offseason turnover in the receiving corps, the Buffalo Bills inked seventh-year wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year deal in mid-May. The back-to-back Super Bowl winner brings his recent championship pedigree and 4.37 40-yard dash speed to a Buffalo weapons group that, while generally talented, is inexperienced and unproven; he doesn’t figure to be a target eater, but assuming he can develop a rapport with quarterback Josh Allen, the 29-year-old could carve out a niche, but meaningful role in the Bills’ offense.

The two have already started crafting a solid chemistry throughout training camp, with the veteran creating a few splash plays in recent days (though he’s had a number of drops, as well, an issue that’s plagued him throughout his professional career to the tune of a 9.1% drop percentage). Allen spoke about his burgeoning bond with the wideout after Wednesday’s training camp practice, noting that his experience makes him a valuable voice in the receiving corps.

“Obviously a late start with him, coming to OTAs fairly later than most guys, obviously signing him late in the process,” Allen said. “Just getting to know him as a guy and feel his body language on the field, we’ve just been behind with the time. 

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“I feel like these last couple of weeks, we’ve really gotten into a groove and understand how he’s thinking, he understands how I’m thinking. He’s a very smart player, he’s been on a lot of really good offenses in his past, been around some really good quarterbacks. He knows what he’s talking about, he’s got that experience. It’s good to lean on that.”

The other “really good quarterbacks” Allen alludes to are Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, who Valdes-Scantling played with in Green Bay and Kansas City, respectively. The two led the pass-catcher to respectable production, with Valdes-Scantling catching 186 passes for 3,155 yards and 16 touchdowns over his six professional seasons; that said, he’s never usurped 690 receiving yards in a single season, something he and Allen will attempt to remedy this fall.

Another interesting tidbit regarding Valdes-Scantling and his signal-callers: in each of the past four seasons, the person throwing the receiver the ball has won either the Super Bowl or NFL MVP Award (with Mahomes winning both in 2022). Allen likely wouldn't mind continuing this trend this year.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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