Bills GM compares Josh Allen’s leadership style to former All-Pro LB

There has been a lot of discussion among Buffalo’s loyal fans lately about Josh Allen’s leadership skills; reporter Tim Graham recently wrote an article for Athletic in which he shared that Bills ownership is looking for “more of a managerial demeanor” from Allen, which isn’t necessarily a criticism of the quarterback’s leadership abilities but a sign that those skills need to evolve.

That expectation is natural. Allen is, after all, the face of the franchise, the otherworldly quarterback around whom the team has centered its on-field philosophies and off-field marketing. Wanting a player earning more than $40 million per season to be the unquestioned leader of the team isn’t necessarily a blatant request.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane isn’t just confident that Allen can take on a bigger leadership role — he believes it’s something he’s naturally evolving into. As Allen gains additional experience in the league and matures overall, he’s naturally become a more trusted voice in the locker room as the roster around him undergoes turnover and becomes younger; the quarterback has become more confident as a leader as his career progresses. During a recent appearance on Buffalo Plus podcast, Beane compared Allen’s development into a key leadership role to that of former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly, a linebacker who Beane watched as one of the league’s best players while playing for the Carolina Panthers.

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“We had Luke Kuechly on the other side of the court in Carolina,” Beane said. “Their leadership styles remind me of each other in a lot of ways. Early on in Carolina, we had Thomas Davis on the defensive end, Charles Johnson, a couple of guys who were established players. Luke came in, and in his second year, the guys said, ‘Hey, this is your defense. Lead.’ He was just such a good (guy) that he didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes. Even if you told him, ‘Luke, speak up at halftime. If you want to kick some ass, kick some ass.’ He just didn’t want to do that.

“But over time, as the team got younger and the defense got younger, it got easier. I think that’s where you saw Josh year after year, just all of a sudden, every year, he’s a year older, and some of the older guys are leaving, and you’re infusing youth or new veterans into the team, that’s how we do it. I think you’ll naturally see another year where he can be a little more open with his teammates. Not just on the offensive side, but even with some of the defensive leaders that we lost even there.”

Allen’s leadership abilities have never been a major concern, as his teammates seem to adore him. That said, his natural progression into a more prominent leadership role is encouraging; offensive line stalwart Dion Dawkins has already seen signs of Allen’s evolution, noting that he’s becoming a more “verbal” leader while also describing him as a “barker.”

Allen will need to be the clear leader of Buffalo’s offense for the unit to continue to buzz in the 2024 campaign. The team parted ways with former top wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis this offseason, leaving both with 241 sacks and about 2,000 yards of production; the team’s revamped receiving corps entering the fall — led by Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel and Keon Coleman — is talented but unproven. Allen and the overall offense have looked sharp through the first few practices of training camp, suggesting the quarterback’s rise to a more prominent leadership role has started off strongly.

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