ORCHARD PARK, NY (WKBW) — Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has a lot of confidence in his third-year quarterback.
"Josh is a guy that's come in, worked hard, aims to improve every day, and has done that since he's been here," Daboll told reporters Friday morning. "He's dedicated to his craft, he's an excellent leader, he understands what we want, and tries to do it on a daily basis. I have a lot of trust and faith in Josh."
Allen and the rest of the offense are coming off a season that included highs and lows. They showed sparks on more than one occasion and spent the off-season and NFL Draft adding a few new pieces to the puzzle.
Gabriel Davis, a fourth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has had an impressive camp and adds height and speed to a veteran receiving corps. They also added a complement to second-year running back Devin Singletary in third-round pick Zack Moss. Moss has been compared to Singletary when it comes to his size and strength. Daboll spoke highly of the two as well as TJ Yeldon, who's entering his second season with the team.
"These guys are guys that can affect you in the passing game and running game," he said. "[They've] got good vision, tough, quick, young players, but ascending players."
While Daboll has had a chance to work with his unit over these last few weeks, he was able to see them in game-time action Thursday when the team held their first scrimmage inside Bills Stadium. Over the last few weeks Daboll has learned a lot from his unit and says they're still a work in progress.
"We gotta keep practicing, doing things better," he said. "They're a good group of guys to work with, a group of guys who are committed to doing things the right way, who are hungry, hard workers, smart, and understand that it takes everybody to keep this ship sailing."
Like Daboll, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has learned a lot about his group as well. He says with the departure of veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, it was important to see who would step up and fill that leadership role. He named several players that have done exactly that.
"You need somebody to take charge," Frazier said. "To see what Mario [Addison] brings, to see what Tremaine [Edmunds] is doing, what Jerry [Hughes] is doing, that's been really encouraging along with Micah [Hyde] and [Jordan] Poyer and well."
Frazier oversees a group that was one of the top units in the league, finishing in the top 10 in total defense, run defense, scoring defense, and pass defense. As far as the latter goes, they ranked 4th in the league allowing an average of less than 200 passing yards a game.
"That's a big part of having success on defense in our league, is not giving up explosive passes," said Frazier. "We'd definitely like to do that again."
Like the offense, the defense has added new pieces to the puzzle. With the departures of Jordan Phillips and Shaw Lawson along the defensive line, they brought in veterans Addison, Quinton Jefferson, and second-round 2020 Draft pick A.J. Epenesa. Players have said this may be the most deep and talented line they've had in recent memory and Frazier agrees.
"We have a finite number that we stick to and that means a good player will end up on somebody's roster," Frazier said. "The good thing for us is we have competition along our defensive line which will hopefully make us a better defensive line. It's a luxury to have and we'll see how it all plays out as we get closer to cut-down time."
The Bills will be back on the field Sunday as they enter their final week of training camp.
