'Juggling Act': Bills Mistake on Josh Allen QB Backup?

Who's the Buffalo Bills backup quarterback behind Josh Allen? Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has a notable take - and maybe a wrong one.

The Buffalo Bills backup quarterback position is a concern to many. Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, however, has a different take - and maybe a wrong one.

“You want to make sure when it’s a competition between two guys, you’re giving both guys an opportunity,'' Dorsey said of the competition between Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley. "There’s a little bit of a juggling act there to make sure we can see exactly what Kyle can do because he is new to us ... but at the same time, giving both guys an equal opportunity.”

To most observers, Kyle Allen - signed this offseason with the idea that he'd be the No. 2 behind close friend Josh Allen - has struggled in camp ... with those struggles continuing in preseason Game 1.

Meanwhile, Barkley, the incumbent third-stringer, seemingly outperformed Kyle Allen during that Bills’ 23-19 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts last week. Right, coach?

.“I know that Matt’s numbers were, what they were, and he did a great job. But at the end of the day, really both of them graded out very similar,” Dorsey said. “I think they both came in were and very effective for us.”

It is clear that the Bills want Kyle Allen, 27, to win the job over the 33-year-old Barkley, with the biggest reason being that Kyle - due to his relationship with Josh - can provide a sounding board and right-hand helper to the superstar QB. There is nothing wrong with that setup ... until Kyle Allen is required to go into an actual game, that is.

Kyle Allen is playing for his fourth franchise in six years, and there is a reason for that: He is at best a journeyman. The Bills - who will take another look at all of this as Buffalo travels to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in preseason Game 2, with Josh Allen and the starters slated to begin the game - knew that when they signed him.

But the push from Bills Mafia to make a trade acquisition of a better player - Sam Darnold is a name that keeps popping up - is an understandable one ... even if Dorsey is pretending to not understand.

"When you look at the competition, it’s very close,'' he said, "which is a testament to the two of them. Neither one of them are playing bad football ... I think both are doing a very good job.”

Photo by Jenna Cottrell/WHAM

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