Bills star quarterback Josh Allen is on track to be fully healthy for the 2023 season without needing surgery after battling through a significant injury to his throwing elbow during the second half of this past season.
Sources say doctors are confident Allen is benefiting from rest and is progressing well from his partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and associated tendon and muscle injuries, which forced him to wear a brace for several games after suffering the injury in a Nov. 6 loss to the Jets.
The injury wasn't as significant as the UCL sprain that sidelined Allen for four games during his rookie season, and he somehow didn't miss a start in 2022. But the combination of soreness and the brace bothered Allen and impacted his mechanics, making it difficult to execute certain throws the way he was accustomated to and disrupting the rhythm of one of the NFL's most prolific offenses.
Allen told reporters last month that doctors' initial prognosis "wasn't too optimistic about me playing" for two to four weeks and he received a platelet-rich plasma injection to help the healing process. Eventually, Allen shed the brace and appeared to regain his fastball down the stretch.
The extent of the injury, originally reported as a UCL sprain, was worse than most knew. But as long as Allen avoided reinjury, which he has to this point, doctors always believed he could avoid surgery and heal up during the offseason.
It wasn't the only prominent UCL injury in the NFL this season. 49ers rookie sensation Brock Purdy suffered a complete UCL tear in the NFC Championship Game and is slated to undergo surgery to repair it later this month, with an estimated return timeline of six months.
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