What It Means:

McDermott added that Allen's playmaking style, which often leads to him taking hits, is "never going to go completely away," but it does seem like the team will be more conscious of their star's health going forward. Allen suffered an elbow injury partway through the 2022 season that coincided with the team's offensive struggles down the stretch and into the playoffs, and their recent signing of Damien Harris seems to signal an effort on the team's part to take some of the physical burden off of Allen.

At 215lbs, Harris's size greatly differentiates him from the running backs the Bills have utilized since Allen's emergence; none of Devin Singletary, Zach Moss, Nyheim Hines, or James Cook have weighed more than 205lbs. As McDermott admits, the team won't be able to stop Allen from being the playmaker he naturally is, but Harris (who had 15 rushing touchdowns in 2021) should have fantasy value as the team's primary ball-carrier and red zone rusher in 2023.