Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson: Buffalo Bills QB ‘Better Version’?
The “comps” are getting a little crazy.
No doubt, quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is big, can sling it, and can run it.
So that means he’s being compared to everybody, including Lamar Jackson, the explosive run-away threat in a QB body starring for the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2019 NFL MVP, so the comparison to him is a flattering one. And the fact that it comes from an actual NFL coach adds some gravitas to it.
Speaking to The Athletic as part of the website’s 2022 quarterback tier rankings, an anonymous defensive coordinator said …
“Josh Allen is a better version of Lamar, and I love him as a football player. I still think (Allen) is erratic as a thrower and so he doesn’t scare me the same way (Aaron) Rodgers does. But he’s ascending.”
Translated, in one form: Allen’s shortcoming is that he’s not (yet) Green Bay’s Rodgers?
That’s barely even a criticism.
What makes the Lamar comp so fascinating is that it comes on the heels of Los Angeles Rams defensive star saying Allen is a “futuristic Big Ben,” a reference to the retired Steelers QB, well-known for being difficult to take down in the pocket due to size and strength.
So Allen is … all of the above, rolled into one?
Allen threw 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season while also proving to be a threat as a runner. He’s a dual-threat quarterback at 6-5, 237 pounds. … with a running style not quite like Jackson, who scoots around defenders at 6-2 and 212.
And there’s one more evaluation that is even bigger than all the comps - Lamar, Rodgers, Ben, all of them.
“He has proven that he can handle big moments,” a personnel director said to The Athletic. “You can see the maturity.”
If that comp comes to fruition in 2022? The rest of the QBs will find themselves being compared to Josh Allen.
