The Bills hired Ken Dorsey as their quarterbacks coach over the weekend, so the quarterback trio under contract with the Bills will begin to prepare for a new leader on the sidelines. However, there is a person closer with the Bills’ starting quarterback who may have been a better option for the once-vacant position.
One of the first football minds to praise Josh Allen’s potential and skills, Jordan Palmer is the quarterback coach that worked with 2018 draft picks Allen and Sam Darnold. Palmer, the younger brother of longtime Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, has been coaching NFL quarterbacks in the offseason since 2014.
The former sixth-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins has been dubbed a “QB Expert” by the USA Today outlet “BillsWire,” and a “QB Guru” by several sites including 247sports.com and has been using his talents to further the development of Josh Allen and other QB prospects. The Palmer family has consistently had many positive things to say about the Bills’ signal-caller.
“Man, Sam Darnold, and Josh Allen are probably the two best in the class,” Carson said. “[Allen] should have maybe been number one.”
Jordan Palmer, who hasn’t had the same success in the NFL like his brother on the playing level, has had success training quarterback prospects for the past few years. He worked at EXOS, an NFL draft training center, and has also used that knowledge during offseason training programs with quarterbacks like Blake Bortles, Kieth Price, Christian Hackenberg, Sean Mannion, and now Allen and Darnold. One of this year’s prospects working with Palmer is Tyree Jackson, the product out of the University at Buffalo.
According to the Buffalo News, Allen returned this offseason to work with Palmer again, which shows signs that Allen does enjoy working with him and feels it helps him improve.
“This kid Josh Allen is maybe the most talented dude I have ever seen,” Jordan Palmer said on the Dan Patrick Show. “Size, arm talent, and also just how intelligent he is.”
Palmer’s belief in Allen’s talent is not the sole reason why he should have been in consideration for the position. With Palmer’s knowledge of the position—he has experience in QB rooms throughout his years in the league—and his ability to help Allen develop now, it could be beneficial for the team to lock him down so that Allen can work with him more often than just in the offseason.
