Buffalo Bills

NFL coaches and executives aren't on the same page as players when it comes to evaluating Josh Allen.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, league personnel are on one side of the debate surrounding Allen potentially becoming overrated.

"That certainly isn't a debate among the many league executives and coaches I've spoken with," Howe wrote on Monday. "He is still largely considered the second-best QB in the NFL behind only Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes."

On Aug. 27, ESPN conducted a survey of 103 NFL players. Allen received 11 votes for the title of most overrated quarterback, one more than Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa and Philadelphia Eagles passer Jalen Hurts.

The 28-year-old didn't take the results of the survey too seriously.

"So my reaction is I'm not mad that 11 players not on my team don't like me, right?" Allen told Adam Schien of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio. "So that's number one. I actually think that's a term of endearment."

Although he threw a career-high 18 interceptions in 2023, Allen has still proven himself to be one of the league's top quarterbacks since he was drafted in 2018. He's compiled a 63-30 record as a starter, leading Buffalo to five consecutive playoff appearances.

Bills convert RIGHT after the George Pickens fumble ✅

Josh Allen with the STRIKE

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/u5g1wvLW8j

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 15, 2024

Allen has thrown for at least 4,200 yards in each of the past four seasons, recording a 96.9 passer rating since the start of his 2020 campaign.

While some players feel that Allen is given more credit than he deserves, coaches and executives still rank him as one of the NFL's best signal-callers.

As quarterback Josh Allen enters the 2024 NFL season in hopes of leading the Buffalo Bills to their first Super Bowl win, he has the full support of his teammates, including wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

Shakir told ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg on Saturday that Allen is "probably one of the best leaders I've ever been around just because of the fact that [if] Josh was like, 'Hey, grab your shield and your sword and let's go to war,' I'm no questions. I'm gonna grab it and go."

Allen, 28, is entering his seventh NFL season, and he is looking to add Super Bowl champion to an already impressive list of accolades.

The two-time Pro Bowler has led he Bills to five consecutive playoff appearances and four straight AFC East titles, marking the first time Buffalo has accomplished those feats since the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

Allen is the first player in NFL history to have accounted for 40 or more total touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, and he has a chance to make it five in 2024.

.@JoshAllenQB turned on the BURNERS for the 52-yard rushing TD 🗣️

📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/WUzjBV8d99

— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024

Doing so won't be easy, though, since Allen's group of pass-catchers was overhauled in a significant way during the offseason.

In addition to losing wideout Gabe Davis in free agency, Buffalo surprisingly traded No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans after he struggled mightily during the second half of 2023.

Shakir is the only wide receiver on the active roster returning from last year's team, and he is joined by rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman and free-agent signings Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins.

However, there is some continuity at other spots with four of the five same starting offensive linemen from last season, as well as running back James Cook and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.

Knox is one of Allen's longest-running teammates, having played alongside him since 2019, and he expressed to Getzenberg that JA17 is as locked in as ever, saying: "He's stuck his head in the tight end room a couple times, 'What do y'all see here?' ... and then also, he's getting a lot of extra work into practice too. Seems like he's just dialed in as soon as he steps out there to the second he comes off after everyone else has left."

Getting to the playoffs hasn't been an issue for Allen, but going on a deep run has, mostly due to the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs, who have eliminated the Bills from the postseason three times in the past four years.

Outsiders tend to place blame on the quarterback for those shortcomings, but Allen has been one of the best quarterbacks in playoff history statistically completing 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,723 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions, and rushing for 563 yards and five scores in 10 games.

Arguably no quarterback has more on their plate than Allen, but he will need help from his supporting cast on both offense and defense to finally get over the hump come playoff time.

The Bills' quest for a fifth consecutive AFC East title and sixth straight playoff berth will begin Sept. 8 when they host the Arizona Cardinals in their regular-season opener.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen isn't upset that his NFL peers think he's overrated.

ESPN recently polled 103 NFL players about different quarterbacks, asking them questions about top quarterbacks, which rookies will have the most success and more. One of the questions players were polled on was who the most overrated quarterback is.

Allen led the way with 11 votes.

"So my reaction is I'm not mad that 11 players not on my team don't like me, right?" Allen told Adam Schien of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio (h/t Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio). "So that's number one. I actually think that's a term of endearment. When other players don't like me that means I'm doing something the right way. I am mad at, however, I'm never, ever invited to participate in these anonymous surveys. So, that's where I find this frustrating. I want to be a part of these surveys, too, and give my input as well."

"I'm just going to keep playing football the way I know how to play it." #Bills superstar @JoshAllenQB reacts w/ @AdamSchein to the ESPN anonymous players survey where he was ranked as the most overrated QB.

🎧 https://t.co/jP0HFpFutU pic.twitter.com/Od7Jmjc2HP

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) August 28, 2024

Allen had another impressive year in 2023 with 4,306 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 524 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. While he had the fourth-most passing yards and fifth-most passing touchdowns in the NFL, he also had the second-most interceptions with 18 and was tied for the fifth-most fumbles with five.

Despite the mishaps, Allen led Buffalo to the playoffs for a fifth straight season. Last season marked the most consecutive playoff appearances for the Bills since the late 1980s and early 1990s.

However, as has happened three times so far in Allen's six NFL campaigns, Buffalo's season ended at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Other top-vote-getters in ESPN's poll included Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence. A common denominator among those players, besides Hurts, is a lack of a deep playoff run. If Allen wants to shed his title of most overrated, it will likely mean getting over the hump and reaching his first Super Bowl.

But Allen said he won't use the title as motivation. He said his resume speaks for itself and he'll instead continue to do what he does.

"I would love to say. 'Yes, it does motivate me,' and I could put it on my locker and use it as bulletin board material," Allen said. "But the fact is . . . I'm going into year seven, I'm coming out of a small farm town called Fireball, California, I had no offers, went the junior college route, ended up having one offer, University of Wyoming, got drafted seventh overall by the Buffalo Bills. So, again, I'm in a spot where not many people — maybe me and my family are the only people that thought that I'd ever be here — so I'm gonna keep running with that, it serves me well, and I'm just gonna keep playing football the way I know how to play it."

For Allen, he'll hope this season will yield mistake-free football and postseason success, and perhaps that will lead to players questioning whether he's actually the most overrated quarterback.

One day after being waived by the Buffalo Bills, Frank Gore Jr. is back with the team.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Gore is being re-signed by the Bills to join their practice squad.

There was some thought that Gore might be able to crack the 53-man roster after a strong preseason showing. He ran for 163 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries in three games.

Gore's final outing was his best when he racked up 101 yards on 18 attempts against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. He earned a shoutout from his dad, former NFL running back Frank Gore, after a 17-yard run in the second quarter.

That's my boy!!! #ForeverGrateful @NFL https://t.co/Zc2FyylBrZ

— Frank Gore (@frankgore) August 24, 2024

The Bills released Gore on Tuesday as part of their final roster cutdown. James Cook, Ty Johnson, Ray Davis and Darrynton Evans are the four running backs who made the 53-man roster.

Gore played four seasons at Southern Mississippi from 2020 to '23. He made the All-Sun Belt team three times, including a first-team selection in 2022. The 22-year-old ranks third in school history with 4,022 rushing yards.

The Bills signed Gore as an undrafted free agent in April following a strong pre-draft showing that included being named offensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Game. He ran for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Given how well Gore has played throughout the offseason, it's a surprise that he didn't earn a roster spot with some team. He will have the opportunity to play himself into a bigger role if he keeps playing at his current level.

In a recent ESPN poll, Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen earned the unique distinction of being voted the NFL's "biggest trash-talking quarterback," and he's taking pride in that moniker.

Allen took to social media on Wednesday morning to celebrate his newfound status:

So you’re telling me, I was voted as the #1 … best trash talker??? Let’s goooooo!!! pic.twitter.com/Tlz8M7g195

— Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) August 28, 2024

Allen is known for using his physicality to punish opposing defenders, and he's apparently not shy about letting his opponents know when he's gotten the better of them.

"He's going to run you over and talk trash after he runs you over," one NFC East player told ESPN.

While Allen is not afraid to vocalize his advantages, he has still yet to achieve the success many have expected of him. The perennial MVP candidate has yet to win an individual regular-season award and has only reached the AFC Championship Game once in his career.

Perhaps 2024 will be the year that Allen is able to back up his trash talk and lead the Bills to the promised land.

• Check out this video where Mitch Milani ranks the Buffalo Bills at No. 10 in his NFL Power Rankings, highlighting Josh Allen's impact and the team's challenges. 🎥 

• Milano discusses Allen as his favorite player and a key reason for the Bills' ranking. 🏈 

• The injury to Matt Milano is a significant concern for the Bills defense, impacting their overall strategy. 🚑 

• Milani believes Khalil Shakir will step up in the receiving core, making significant contributions. 📈 

• The offensive line's strong performance last season is expected to continue, especially in pass blocking. 💪 

• Despite early-season challenges, Milani predicts the Bills will grow stronger and become a dangerous team by December, potentially becoming a wild-card team or division winner. 🔥 

The video summary is powered by AI technology and human-reviewed. Related video content is human-created.

Frank Gore Jr. will not be a member of the Buffalo Bills' active roster to start his NFL career.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Bills decided to waive the rookie running back ahead of Tuesday's deadline to cut the active roster down to 53 players despite his impressive preseason.

Gore is the son of former NFL running back Frank Gore.

The elder Gore played for the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Bills and New York Jets during his career that lasted from 2005 to 2020. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the best running backs of his generation who is third in NFL history with 16,000 rushing yards.

That is quite the family billing to live up to, but Gore Jr. thrived during his collegiate career at Southern Mississippi.

He finished the 2023 season with 1,131 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to go with 27 catches for 221 yards and three scores as a receiver. It wasn't enough to get him drafted, but the Bills took a chance on him in the preseason.

Gore Jr. largely took advantage of his opportunity, including when he ran for 101 yards and a touchdown in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.

Frank Gore Jr. gets a TD in Buffalo ‼️

📱: Stream #CARvsBUF on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/rubCi4ksJp

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024

"I can't control it, so there's nothing that I can really do about it," Gore told reporters about his chances to make Buffalo's roster after the performance. "But I put my best foot forward every day during camp, during preseason. So, whatever they decide, they decide. They're going to do what's best for the team, and I'll be fine no matter what."

While he didn't make a strong roster that already included James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, Gore was already a familiar name among NFL circles and put some solid film together during the preseason.

He will remain on the radar of NFL teams and will likely get another opportunity in the near future to prove himself.

It just might not be on the Bills.

The Buffalo Bills reportedly released defensive tackle and former Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson prior to Tuesday's 53-man roster cutdown deadline.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Bills are waiving Steveson, but it "won't be the end of the line for him" since he is a developmental prospect.

That suggests Steveson has a chance to land on the practice squad with Buffalo or another team while he continues to get acclimated to football.

Steveson won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and had a brief run in WWE before signing with the Bills in May despite having no previous experience playing football.

Listed at just 6 feet tall, Steveson is on the small side for an NFL defensive lineman, but he packs 280 pounds onto his frame and his strength is undeniable.

The former University of Minnesota amateur wrestling star saw significant action during the preseason, recording three total tackles.

After winning Olympic gold, Steveson had several options for his next step, including training for the 2024 Olympics, pro wrestling and MMA.

Steveson chose the pro wrestling path by signing with WWE in 2021, but he never quite found his footing.

He was thrust into a big spot at WrestleMania 38 by hitting Chad Gable with a suplex and celebrating with Randy Orton and others, but he disappeared from WWE programming for an extended period of time thereafter.

Steveson began appearing on WWE's NXT brand in June 2023 and had his one and only official televised WWE match at Great American Bash in July 2023, fighting Baron Corbin to a double count-out.

WWE released Steveson in May 2024, and he signed with the Bills just a few weeks later.

Steveson was always a long shot to make the roster given his lack of football experience, but he undoubtedly has enough athleticism and physical ability to make him an intriguing and worthwhile practice squad stash.

Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen was chosen as the most overrated quarterback in the league as part of an anonymous survey of 103 NFL players on Tuesday.

In the survey conducted by ESPN, 11 players voted Allen as the most overrated QB, placing him just ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts and Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa who garnered 10 votes apiece.

One NFC West player who voted for Allen pointed to ball security as their reason, saying: "Too many turnovers."

Per ESPN, Allen has the most total turnovers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018 with 102, however, his 221 combined passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns during that same timeframe are second in the league behind only Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes' 231.

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Wyoming, Allen has exceeded all expectations in the NFL, establishing himself as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history.

In addition to his passing prowess, he has averaged nearly 602 rushing yards per season and his 53 career rushing touchdowns are already the second-most in NFL history by a quarterback behind only Cam Newton's 75.

Allen has totaled 40 or more touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, making him the first player in NFL history of accomplish that feat.

Last season was also his fourth in a row with over 4,000 passing yards, but his streak of three consecutive seasons of 30 or more passing touchdowns ended, as he threw for 29 scores, although he set a new personal best with 15 rushing scores.

Allen also had a career-high 18 interceptions, marking the fourth straight year he has thrown double-digit picks.

It is a valid criticism that Allen throws too many interceptions, as he has thrown 78 in 94 career regular-season games, but it shouldn't be ignored that the two-time Pro Bowler cleans up his game significantly come playoff time.

In fact, Allen is one of the greatest playoff performers of all time, completing 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,723 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions, while also rushing for 563 yards and five scores in 10 games.

.@JoshAllenQB turned on the BURNERS for the 52-yard rushing TD 🗣️

📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/WUzjBV8d99

— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024

At 100.0, Allen has the seventh-best passer rating in NFL playoff history, and that is despite the fact that he has yet to reach a Super Bowl.

The Bills' inability to make it to the big game often leads to outside criticism of Allen, but the reality is that he consistently performs well on the postseason stage and has been let down by coaching and defense in multiple close playoff losses to Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Perhaps the biggest argument against Allen being overrated is the fact that he produces at such a high clip despite being only the 13th-highest-paid quarterback in the league in terms of average annual contract value.

By comparison, Hurts is eighth on that list and Tagovailoa is fourth after recently signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Dolphins.

Tagovailoa has helped the Dolphins reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but he is 1-6 in his career against Allen and the Bills, who have won four consecutive AFC East titles.

Tua is coming off the best season of his career, though, as he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time.

As for Hurts, he is just two seasons removed from leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance and finished second in the NFL MVP voting.

Like Allen, he is a top dual-threat quarterback with double-digit rushing touchdowns in three straight seasons, although many see him as the beneficiary of the "Tush Push."

Hurts threw a career-high 15 interceptions last season compared to just 23 touchdown passes, which seemingly soured the opinion of many.

Proving how subjective the poll is, Hurts and Tagovailoa received four votes each for most underrated quarterback, which tied them for eighth, while Allen received the fourth-most points in the vote for the top three quarterbacks in the NFL behind only Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.

As Frank Gore Jr. fights to earn a spot on the Buffalo Bills' roster going into the regular season, his dad remains his biggest cheerleader.

Five-time Pro Bowler Frank Gore hyped his son after the younger Gore picked up 17 yards for the Bills in Saturday's preseason contest against the Carolina Panthers.

That's my boy!!! #ForeverGrateful @NFL https://t.co/Zc2FyylBrZ

— Frank Gore (@frankgore) August 24, 2024

Frank Gore Jr. gets a TD in Buffalo ‼️

📱: Stream #CARvsBUF on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/rubCi4ksJp

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024

Frank Gore Jr. went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft before signing with the Bills in April.

The elder Gore told NFL insider Josina Anderson after the draft that the league "slept on my son" and everyone "better be ready" for what he's going to do as a pro.

Just got off the phone with Frank Gore Sr. who was very emotional and happy about his son joining the #Bills as a UDFA:

"We’re good. We're going to Buffalo man to do our thing. Tell them they better be ready-trust me. I know what I’m raising. Folks slept on my son; they slept… pic.twitter.com/DcHZyhPo8k

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 28, 2024

Speaking to reporters during his first media appearance with the Bills in May, Frank Gore Jr. said not getting drafted was a motivating factor for him.

"It pushed me a lot," Gore told reporters. "I feel like there's no way 257 people [were] better than me in this draft, but now that that process is over, I'm a Bill. I'm here to compete and I'm here to push my teammates and push the running back room and try to get on special teams."

The scouting report for Gore coming into the NFL wasn't that different from what his father heard coming out of Miami in 2005. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein described him as a "compact every-down runner...with good contact balance and an ability to handle a more robust workload" but is lacking "the big burst and short-area twitch" to create big plays consistently.

Frank Gore Sr. was a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 and turned into one of the best running backs of his era. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times, earned an All-Pro second-team selection in 2006 and was one of four running backs named to the All-Decade team for the 2010s.

Gore retired after the 2020 season with exactly 16,000 career rushing yards, third-most in NFL history.

The Bills have Gore listed as the fourth-string running back on their depth chart. James Cook is the starter, with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis as the primary backups.

Gore entered the day with 78 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches in Buffalo's first two preseason games. Even if he happens to get cut by the Bills when they are finalizing their 53-man roster, he may have shown enough to earn a spot with another team.