ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — When the Bills drafted Josh Allen seventh overall in 2019, they made that decision largely based on his arm strength.
He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, but accuracy has been a question with Allen before, during, and after the draft process.
While he's completed 62.4% of his passes in 2019 (up from 52.8% in his rookie year) he's shown a glaring lack of ability to connect with receivers on what are defined as "deep balls" - passes of 20-yards or more.
Pro Football Focus ranks him last in the NFL in that catregory. His longest pass this season was 51-yards to Cole Beasley in the Bills Week 2 win over the Giants.
Adding to the frustration, is that Allen missed a number of open receivers downfield in the comeback win Sunday over the struggling Miami Dolphins.
Sean McDermott acknowledged Wednesday it's a shortcoming that has his attention.
"You want to hit those... you want to hit all passes... don't get me wrong, you want to hit all passes."
The ability to stretch the field is an important dimension for any offense. If opposing defenses don't fear the deep ball, it makes it easier to defend against any opponent. It certainly could be viewed as a contributing factor the Bills inconsistency and struggles to produce on offense this season.
"Whether it's deep passes, short passes... we need to play well... I'm not ignoring it... that's an area we need to improve on.
The Bills (5-1) host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) on Sunday.