Josh Allen is ready to start his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, but the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft isn’t being handed the reins immediately.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Allen will arrive as the third-string quarterback, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak.
Brandon Beane says on @WGR550 that Josh Allen will join the team as the No. 3 quarterback.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) April 30, 2018
Buffalo — which traded former starter Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns — signed AJ McCarron to a two-year deal during the offseason. Plus, Nathan Peterman is entering his second year in the pros.
Although Beane disagreed with the notion that Allen is a “raw” prospect, the Bills also don’t believe Allen is a Day 1 starter. They’ll wait for him to leap Peterman on the depth chart before challenging McCarron, who will probably be under center to open 2018.
Whether Allen can actually grow into Buffalo’s long-term starter is up for debate, but the franchise is trying to limit the external pressure on him to become that player right away.