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Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions could be a Cleveland Browns target in the draft.

Since the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the first round in 2018, it’s been the Josh Allen Show in Buffalo.

One analyst believes it’s time to introduce a new quarterback to the room.

The team has invested just one draft pick on a quarterback in the years that followed their selection of Allen in the first round, a fleeting project on Jake Fromm that ended when he was poached by the New York Giants a year later.

Bills Could Snag Rookie Quarterback to Develop Behind Josh Allen

Fansided’s Brandon Ray believes the Bills could change course this year, landing a developmental project who could eventually grow into a long-term backup for Allen.

In his seven-round mock draft, Ray predicted the Bills would take Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with their fifth-round pick. Ray suggested that Allar is an intriguing project, one with similar physical tools to Allen.

“Drew Allar out of Penn State is an intriguing option. He is 6-foot-5 and 235lbs, giving him similar size to Allen and he can play in the cold weather, having played at Penn State,” Ray wrote.

Ray added that Allar has faced questions about his consistency and is coming off a season-ending ankle injury, but that could sink his draft stock enough to give the Bills a bargain in the fifth round.

That was the same round the Bills selected Fromm in 2020, a project that didn’t pan out due in part to some unusual circumstances. Due to the league’s stringent health and safety protocol for the 2020 season, the Bills chose to keep Fromm separate from his teammates in case they lost Allen or other quarterbacks to COVID protocols.

That limited Fromm’s ability to work with the team and development, and he never saw the field in his rookie season. Fromm was signed from their practice squad by the Giants the following year, and since then the Bills have stuck largely to familiar faces — Mitch Trubisky and Kyle Allen — to back up Josh Allen.

If Allar can develop into a competent backup, it could allow the Bills to save some salary cap space, keeping him through his rookie contract and using him as trade bait if he should develop enough that another team wants to give him a starting opportunity.

Bills Expected to Give Help to Josh Allen

While the Bills could consider adding more quarterback insurance behind Allen, giving the former MVP more tools on offense is seen as the bigger priority. Buffalo’s wide receiving corps struggled at times during the 2025 season, which allowed opposing defenses to ratchet up the pressure on Allen.

The Bills have already addressed the weakness this offseason, trading for Chicago Bears receiver DJ Moore, but could make more moves to help Allen.

Fox Sports analyst Ralph Vacchiano predicted the Bills could trade for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas.

“The Jags say they won’t trade Thomas, even after a terrible season, but they don’t have a first-round pick, so if the Bills dangle their first-rounder, maybe Jacksonville will change its mind,” Vacchiano wrote. “With Allen, two top receivers and RB James Cook, the Bills’ offense might be impossible to stop. And if they can finally end their Super Bowl drought, it would be well worth the price.”

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty