Buffalo Bills' Mitch Morse on Josh Allen Running Less: 'No One is Invincible'

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been intentional about limiting the frequency of his runs. His center, Mitch Morse, recognizes how important that development is.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is incredibly gifted, consistently productive, and—to some extent—paradoxical.

The 6-5, 237-pound tank of a quarterback made his biggest impact when he commandeered the passing offense while also being a nightmare to tackle. He can make any throw on the field and offers little rest to defenses who hope to limit his impact by knocking him out of structure.

Through designed runs and encouraging scrambling, Buffalo allowed Allen to be both its best passer and rusher. This season, the Bills have decided to give it up.

Center Mitch Morse snapping to quarterback Josh Allen / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Allen had averaged at least 6.4 rush attempts per game in every season of his career prior to 2023. Last year, it peaked, at 7.8 rushes per game. These were undeniably fruitful, helping him rush for over 3,000 yards and 38 touchdowns across five seasons.

However, this year Allen is down to 3.7 rushes per game. It’s no mistake. Running rampant is fun to watch and difficult to stop, but one bad hit could end his (and Buffalo’s) season. Continuously taking them leaves Allen bruised and battered before playoff games that demand his best.

Center Mitch Morse commented on teaching Allen some restraint.

“I know that is something we wanted to work on,” Morse said. “Because no one is invincible in this league.”

Allen hasn’t missed an extended period of time since his rookie season, but concerns about his durability flared up after he suffered an elbow injury (while in the pocket) last season. His play stagnated and reminded the Bills Mafia that their quarterback was, in fact, human.

However, the expectation in Buffalo is that Allen will one day bring home a Lombardi Trophy. At some point, he’s going to be asked to take the hits necessary to do so. The Bills would just prefer if he scaled back the less-than-necessary ones.

“It’s tough to see your quarterback take hits,” Morse said. “Not to say at times it’s not his job or his time to take the ball and tote it.”

Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has been intentional in the runs he’s called, attempting to limit the designed attempts Allen has dutifully carried so many times. This, with an added emphasis on getting the ball out quickly, has helped suppress the amount of hits he’s taken. The best way to keep that burden off his shoulders is to improve the running game, but that’s still a work in progress.

For now, it’s baby steps for Buffalo, and that means doing what they can to keep Allen upright.

“It is nice as an offensive lineman to see your quarterback take a few less hits,” Morse concluded. “I’m not gonna lie. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”