This offseason, the Buffalo Bills have a number of tough choices to make, but selecting a franchise quarterback is not one of them. Josh Allen’s contract is set for the foreseeable future, meaning the Bills will always be a Super Bowl contender.
The Bills are looking for a new backup quarterback, though. Despite having a strong connection with Josh Allen, Kyle Allen is a free agent whose future is still up in the air.
The Bills are currently $43.3 million over the $255.4 million cap. Thus, it doesn’t seem plausible that you would pay a sizable contract for a backup. It makes financial sense to choose a quarterback in the late rounds of the 2024 NFL draft to play backup quarterback.
“If there is one the Bills might be interested in, it’s Tennessee’s Joe Milton III because he’s almost a clone of Allen, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound elite athlete with a strong arm and great mobility,” stated Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle.
“However, even if the Bills did select him, say in the fifth round, [general manager Brandon] Beane would only do so if he already had a veteran backup signed. It’s highly unlikely that he’d be ready to step in as a rookie if needed.”
Veteran quarterback Matt Barkley was already on the team when Beane selected former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Before being released in 2021, Fromm spent the whole season behind Barkley on the practice squad.
“Arm Strength Alone Separates Joe Milton From the Rest of the QB Class,” according to Milton
Before the NFL Combine, Brady Quinn, a former NFL quarterback who is now a CBS Sports commentator, thinks Milton will draw some attention.
“After seeing it, [NFL scouts] will say, ‘We think we can work with this guy, we think we can shape this guy into something special.'” According to SI, Quinn stated of the 23-year-old potential. And I believe Joe Milton can outperform everyone else in that area. Considering that his arm strength alone will set him apart from the other quarterbacks in the class.
Milton attended Michigan for the first two years of his college career before moving to Tennessee in 2021. He completed 229 of 354 passes for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in the 2023 season.
He chose not to participate in the Citrus Bowl and had a poor experience at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Out of 13 throws, he completed 9 with 2 interceptions. Ryan Wilson, an analyst for CBS Sports, speculated, “Joe Milton, who might have the biggest arm in football at any level, looked a lot like he did for Tennessee in 2023.” In other words, he sometimes hesitates to act on his first or second reading, preferring to run the ball when there’s any hint of difficulty, and then exacerbates a poor decision.
“It will be intriguing to observe Milton’s draft position. Teams that we’ve spoken with are enthralled with the potential, and there’s no denying the tangible tools. However, you are curious about how long it will take to integrate everything.
Milton hopes to change that perception by doing well at the NFL Scouting Combine. Chris Trapasso, a CBS Sports pundit, forecasts with audacity that he will toss the ball 80 yards into the air at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Josh Allen, Quarterback for the Bills, hasn’t missed a game since November 2018.
The backup quarterback for the Bills has never started a season in the previous five. Since November 11, 2018, Allen has not missed a single game. like a result, Buffalo may try to re-sign Kyle Allen for the veteran’s minimum, just like they did the year before. Shane Buechele, a third-string player, signed a reserve/futures deal with the Bills in January.
However, Beane made it plain that he takes the responsibility of being Josh Allen’s backup seriously when he spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine earlier this week. Beane remarked, “I understand the quarterback’s value.”
“If you don’t have a man under center that can do it, just see what happened to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game a few years back. We have been assessing them over the past few years, but in which round are you going to select him so that you are certain he will be your backup?
“If you have a strong squad and Josh is out for two or four weeks at the very least, you’re going to lose 2-2. He sort of does that, so let’s just wait for your starter to return. Indeed, you would want to land that person in an ideal world, but how can you achieve it? Do you search for other players in the fifth round as well as the second round using that method?