Josh Allen has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. You might be able to get away with arguing that he's played better than anyone not named Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers. (Ryan Tannehill could, astonishingly, also be in that conversation.)

Allen deserves a lot of credit for what his team has accomplished. So does offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, whose name keeps coming up on head coach candidate lists. But Bills GM Brandon Beane has also earned a nice piece of that credit pie.

In 2017, Beane inherited a Bills team that had missed the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons. This year, they are slated to make the postseason for the third time in four years and, in the process, are emerging as a sexy pick to make some playoff noise.

Beane has surrounded Allen with quality players who help put him in a position to succeed. The biggest key is Stefon Diggs, who has the second most yards of any wide receiver in the NFL with 1,314. He is just 10 yards behind the league leader, DeAndre Hopkins. Travis Kelce, a tight end, has 1,318.

Beane acquired Diggs in the first round -- the 22nd overall in this past year's draft -- as well as a fourth, fifth, and sixth rounder. What this means is that virtually any team could have landed him if they wanted to.

From 2019 to 2020, Josh Allen went from averaging 6.7 yards per attempt and completing 58.8 percent of his passes to 7.7 and 68.7. Kirk Cousins' stats in those categories have essentially stayed flat from last season, but the Vikings have gone from winning a playoff game to a 6-8 record.

Wide receiver Cole Beasley, in his second season in Buffalo, is another great acquisition for Beane. He has 950 yards receiving. In his ninth year in the NFL, he is already 117 yards above his career high. He ranks 16th in receiving yards this season. Beasley averages a tad over $7 million per year. According to a table at Over the Cap, Beasley is the 37th-highest paid receiver in the NFL in terms of average dollars per year on his contract.

The Bills' rushing game has improved too. Devin Singletary and Zach Moss may not be sexy fantasy football names, but they are averaging 4.5 yards and 4.3 yards per carry respectively, which is a nice complement to Buffalo's dynamic passing game.

So, Josh Allen is having a great season, and no one can take that away from him. Same with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. I just haven't heard as much chatter in support of Brandon Beane, so let's hear it for him as well.

Zach Moss

Bills GM Brandon Beane Deserves Lots of Credit for Josh Allen Ascendance