FOXBOROUGH – Jerod Mayo saw the development from afar.
When Josh Allen entered the NFL in 2018, he was a raw quarterback with some big traits. A rookie out of Wyoming, Allen completed 52.8% of his passes that first season to go with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2019, Allen took a nice step in his development when he completed 58.8% of his passes, finishing with 3,089 yards to go with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
In 2020, it all changed.
In Allen’s third NFL season, he earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors while finishing second in MVP voting. At age 24, Allen completed 69.2% of his throws and finished with 4,544 yards to go with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Mayo joined Bill Belichick’s staff in 2019, where he worked as an inside linebackers coach and eventually as the de facto co-defensive coordinator with Steve Belichick. The Patriots coach saw up close how Allen transformed into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
“It was more about him just taking the profit,” Mayo said. “Early in his career, because he does have a big arm, he does have athletic ability to run around. He was always trying to make the big play. I thought the evolution of Josh Allen was when he took the profit.”
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The hope is that Drake Maye will follow Allen’s lead. Looking at how it unfolded for the Bills quarterback, there are several things the Patriots can learn from Allen’s development.
As Mayo noted, Allen’s decision-making has dramatically improved but it should also be noted what the Bills quarterback was working with.
In Allen’s first NFL season, his top receivers were Zay Jones, Robert Foster, and Kelvin Benjamin. In Year 2, the Bills brought in two veteran receivers with John Brown and Cole Beasley. The Bills recognized that Allen needed more help to take the next step. In his third season, Buffalo traded for All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs and also drafted receiver Gabriel Davis. That’s when he became an MVP candidate.
On paper, Maye’s receivers don’t seem to be as bad as the Bills in 2018 but that season, Buffalo had two receivers (Jones and Foster) average over 40 yards per game. The Patriots have no receivers averaging 40 yards per game. Hunter Henry is the only pass catcher to do so (45.4).
Like the Bills did for Allen, the Patriots need to find Maye a bona fide No. 1 receiver.
That wasn’t the only thing that helped the Bills quarterback. In Allen’s third season, he was sacked 26 times or on 4.35% of his dropbacks. That number was a massive improvement from his first two seasons. Allen was sacked on 8.05% of his throwing attempts as a rookie. In his second season, he was sacked 38 times (7.62% of his attempts).
This season, Maye has been sacked on 8.82% of his passing attempts.
In 2020, the Bills added former All-Pro right tackle Daryl Williams and brought in veteran right guard Brian Winters. At this point, the Patriots need to find at least two new tackles to protect Maye.
The Bills also surrounded Allen with good coaches. Led by a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott, Allen was developed by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. His quarterbacks coach, Ken Dorsey, also played the position in the NFL.
When Daboll left for New York, the Bills had an easy replacement with Dorsey. As soon as it didn’t work with Dorsey, the Bills fired him after two seasons. He was replaced by Joe Brady, an experienced offensive coordinator who replaced Dorsey as the Bills quarterbacks coach in 2022.
It remains to be seen if Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will survive this first season in New England. If the Patriots opt to make a change, it’s a move they can’t afford to mess up (like Bill Belichick replacing Josh McDaniels with Matt Patricia).
When it comes to Maye, it’s easy to see why he’s drawn comparisons to Allen.
Although he’s not the same size as Allen (6-5, 237 pounds), Maye’s not a bigger quarterback at 6-4, 225 pounds. Like Allen, Maye had some struggles with accuracy in college. His strengths, like the Bills quarterback, is that he’s a bigger mobile quarterback with a strong arm.
This season, Maye’s numbers are a little better than Allen’s first season. Maye’s completion percentage (68.5) is currently eighth in the NFL and that’s much better than Allen’s rookie season (52.8). Through 10 games, Maye’s touchdown percentage (4.2%) and interception percentage (3.2%) is slightly better compared to Allen’s first season (3.1%) and 3.8%).
“I think I’ve got a long way to go,” Maye said when asked about the Allen comparison. “What a player he is, playing at an MVP level. I think the biggest thing is just the progression he’s made. I think what he dealt with, whether coming out of college or his first years here, I feel like everybody was just kind of not giving him the credit he deserved.
“Now, you can see kind of the full fruition of what he’s doing and the level he’s playing at. Just, like I said, fun to watch, and I think I’ve got a long way to go to get to anywhere close to playing at his level.”
If Maye’s going to get to that level then he’s going to need some help. The Patriots would be wise to follow the Bills’ lead.
