Josh Allen leading Bills in carries is a risk not worth taking

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

There have been times in Josh Allen‘s career when he has needed to run the ball to get a win — and at a very high volume.

That was mostly during his rookie season in 2018, when he struggled with accuracy and didn’t have much in the way of a supporting cast. But even last season, the Buffalo Bills‘ quarterback rushed the ball 122 times, second most on the team.

It’s part of what makes him great. He’s a mobile quarterback.

But with one of the most gifted arms in the NFL, Allen doesn’t need to be a running or scrambling quarterback. He can use his mobility and size (6-foot-5, 237 pounds) to elude rushers. He should, however, get to a point where he’s not generating the most rushing yards for his team.

Why? Well, he’s the team’s most important asset. They need to keep him healthy, which often means keeping him behind the line of scrimmage. So it was surprising to see Allen lead the Bills in rushes (10), rushing yards (56) and rushing touchdowns (1) in the season opener against the Rams.

“After watching the game, I didn’t think he took any big shots, which is obviously a factor with how he runs,” said offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who made his debut in the role in Week 1.

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Let’s be 100 percent clear: If this is the Bills’ biggest problem (which it is), they are in a terrific place (which they are). But there’s a delicate balance they’ll have to manage. Dorsey explained why Allen ended up carrying the ball at such a high volume.

“There’s certain things, whether it’s a movement play or a scramble play, where Josh is going to be Josh. And he’s going to use his legs,” Dorsey said this week. “He’s got to do a good job protecting himself at the end of runs, getting down and knowing the times where you’ve got to go all out and do the things to get a first [down] or get in the end zone — or know the times when you’ve got to get down and protect yourself.”

Dorsey said he and quarterbacks coach Joe Brady are in Allen’s ear about when he should and should not be running the football. But Allen may have missed the memo against the Rams. He carried the ball five times in the second half and four times in situations when the Bills were leading by 14 points or more.

He frankly made a major lapse in judgment in the fourth quarter when he elected to rush for 13 yards on a first-and-10 with a 31-10 lead. Dorsey called a play-action rollout and Allen didn’t like the look of what he saw downfield from his receivers, so he tucked and ran. Allen took a hit from two different Rams — one high and one low. That is absolute nightmare fuel for the head coach and coordinator.

Dorsey called a passing play, which was unnecessary at that point in the game. Allen turned it into a running play, which was even more unnecessary.

“I think I can be better in that aspect but given the circumstances of what it was, understanding the flow of the game,” Allen said this week. “I do things that are necessary, in my eyes. … At the end of the day, availability is the best ability. Just understanding that and getting down and not taking too many hits.”

With the Bills blowing out the Rams at that point in the game, Buffalo should have handed off to its running backs to bleed the clock and bring a safe end to the game. Of course, that’s what Dorsey did after seeing Allen take a hit on that final drive. Dorsey called a run for Zack Moss, who promptly lost a fumble. Earlier in the game, rookie running back James Cook also lost a fumble.

That has not and will not impact Dorsey’s confidence in his three-headed attack at running back.

“I’ve got zero hesitation to give Zach, Motor [Devin Singletary], James the ball — no matter what the situation is,” Dorsey said. “If the game’s on the line, if it’s the first quarter, if it’s the fourth quarter, I’ve got a lot of faith in those guys.”

As for the fumbles?

“I’ve got a lot of trust that they’re going to make the necessary adjustments,” Dorsey said.

Singletary led the running backs with eight carries for 48 yards, Moss had six carries for 15 yards and Cook had a 2-yard carry. As a unit, they averaged 4.3 yards per carry with no touchdowns and a pair of fumbles. They were also a check-down valve for Allen, who threw to Moss for six catches and 21 yards and to Singletary for two receptions and 14 more yards. When Cook begins to earn a more prominent role, he will likely serve as an efficient check-down option for Allen. The Bills traded up in Round 2 of the draft because they think Cook can be a playmaker in the passing game.

As the running backs continue to produce reliably in the rushing and passing game, Allen will have to trust them to make the plays for him — rather than doing it all himself. Of course, the counterargument is that Allen’s desire to put the team on his back is part of what makes him elite. So it might be impossible to revoke his ability to scramble and create big plays.

“The way the game unfolded with him scrambling — and those types of things — is kind of what makes Josh who he is, what makes him a special type of player. So we trust him.” Dorsey said. He added later: “We just gotta make sure we’re communicating with him to get down.”

That’s where Allen has to buy in. It’s OK for him to run the ball at the beginning of the third quarter when the game is tied. It’s not OK for him to run the ball at the end of the fourth quarter when the game is securely in hand.

The Bills’ offense has the chance to be special, but Allen need only look at what an ankle injury did to Ravens QB Lamar Jackson‘s season in 2021. He wasn’t even rushing downfield — merely rolling out of the pocket — when a chasing defensive lineman landed on his ankle. Baltimore missed the playoffs.

Football is a contact sport, and Allen is a physical player. The Bills will have the best kind of problem in 2022: They’ll have to figure out how to make use of Allen’s unique physical gifts without subjecting him to unnecessary risks.

Henry McKenna covers the AFC East for FOX Sports. He previously spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.