The Buffalo Bills targeted slot receiver Cole Beasley this offseason to help improve Josh Allen's short game, which struggled his rookie season.
In an interview with Tim Graham of The Athletic, Allen said having a reliable slot wideout who can consistently get open would help him immensely.
"It's big, especially for the type of offense that we run," Allen said. "A good example, New England's had Julian Edelman for a long time. Tom trusts him, knows where he's going to be, knows his body language. It's no secret that we run a similar offense to the Patriots, and we want to utilize our slot guys, too, to make somebody miss and get up field."
Allen cooed that Beasley has taken a proactive role despite missing time on the practice field.
"Cole talks my ear off, and it's awesome to be able to bounce ideas off each other, things that he likes and doesn't, things that I like and don't," the QB said. "He's that shifty slot, a safety valve, if you will."
Allen didn't have a reliable safety valve last season, which was one reason he struggled on short-to-intermediate tosses. The hope in Buffalo is that the remade receivers corps, which now tends to speed over size, will help Allen make a Year 2 leap.
Beasley missed most of the offseason work with his new team after undergoing core muscle surgery. Allen said he's not worried about building chemistry with his new slot receiver, so long as Beasley is ready to go by training camp.
"Not concerned at all. This is OTAs," Allen said. "You make your mark in training camp, when pads are on, things are flying a little faster, everybody's tuned up a little more. That's when we'll get things rolling."
Allen getting things rolling in Year 2 is the key for Buffalo to make strides toward returning to the playoffs.
