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Bills training camp questions: Can Josh Allen's renewed focus bring him to a higher level?

sal maiorana, rochester democrat and chronicle
·4 min read
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Josh Allen says he has never been more focused on football than he is right now.
Josh Allen says he has never been more focused on football than he is right now.

This is the first in a 10-part series previewing Buffalo Bills training camp.

In case you haven’t heard, Josh Allen has been saying repeatedly that he’s never been more focused on football than he is — and will be — this season.

He said something to that effect almost every time he met with reporters in the offseason, yet you can make the case that Allen has never had a busier, more tumultuous offseason than 2023.

The playoff loss to the Bengals was a tremendous gut punch and it left a taste in Allen’s mouth that he still hasn’t rinsed away. He broke up with his longtime girlfriend and has apparently taken up with actress Hailee Steinfield.

There was all the hullabaloo surrounding his being the cover boy for the new Madden game. In addition to all the golf he has played, he has become somewhat of a celebrity spectator, having attended the first three PGA major championships with reports that he will be at Royal Liverpool in England for next week’s British Open, too.

And then was all the drama surrounding Stefon Diggs that certainly had to take Allen’s focus off football for a little while. If Allen has been able to rise above all that and home in even deeper on the things he needs to do to not only improve his own game but also take the Bills to the promised land, then good for him.

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“It's an accumulation of things, I think,” he said, trying to explain why he believes he will be more in tune with everything heading into training camp and the regular season. “Just understanding our window, and I want to give everything that I have for as long as I play. I'm not saying that I haven't done that in the past, but there's always new ways that I can find to get better.”

Allen has been a transcendent player since 2020, but he’s the first one to admit that in the last two years his penchant for turning the ball over has been a problem. He has lost eight fumbles (he’s actually put it on the ground 21 times) and thrown 29 interceptions (he had only 31 his first three seasons).

Since his career year in 2020 when he completed 69.2% of his passes and threw for 4,544 yards with 37 TDs and just 10 picks, his numbers have dwindled slightly across the board with the exception of the turnovers, which have risen.

As great as he has been, there is probably more that he can do, but he’ll need help. Assuming Diggs is going to come back with a clear head and resume his eye-popping production from his first three years with Allen, that will certainly help. Also, the Bills need a bounce-back season from Gabe Davis, someone to assume the primary slot receiver duty, and for the offensive line to improve its play both in the run and the pass.

Those things coming together will give Allen the opportunity to be the very best version of himself, and the very best of Allen could mean the Bills finally smashing through that Super Bowl window that has been at least partway open for three years.

Other questions to be answered during Buffalo Bills training camp 2023

Be sure to return to democratandchronicle.com for daily updates throughout the Buffalo Bills training camp. You can also sign up for Bills Blast, Sal Maiorana's newsletter which will follow the Bills action all season long. Here are stories previewing some of the other questions that need to be answered during camp:

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana or Threads @salmaiorana1.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Josh Allen hoping to be even better at Buffalo Bills training camp