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More change could be coming for the underachieving Bills

Analysis by Jason La Canfora / NFL insider and analyst
November 18, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EST

The Buffalo Bills made a change at offensive coordinator early in the week that, frankly, didn’t seem to shock other teams.

In fact, it was seen as a potential precursor to more upheaval this winter, after a season that seems likely to end much sooner than folks have become accustomed to in Western New York. The departed Ken Dorsey always had a huge shadow cast over him by former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who was most often credited with furthering the development of quarterback Josh Allen, and the striking regression of Allen and Buffalo’s offense portends significant change.

More importantly, perhaps, the promotion of Joe Brady into the offensive coordinator role is being read around the league as a window into the growing unrest of Bills ownership. And, lest you forget the days of Rex Ryan’s undoing, Doug Marrone taking a buyout to leave Buffalo without having another head coaching gig lined up and constant infighting within the front office, owner Terry Pegula’s franchise was once mired in dysfunction and turmoil before Coach Sean McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane settled in. More staff changes would appear imminent without a course reversal.

Rival general managers and executives believe McDermott’s body of work is of a quality that one down season wouldn’t lead to his demise. However, to some, the sudden departure of longtime defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier in February felt like a throwback to Pegula’s more chaotic past. It reeked of panic, and a bit of scapegoating, as did Dorsey’s dismissal. (The head coach, after all, got burned on an all-out blitz late to set up Denver’s game-winning field goal attempt on Monday night, and the Bills had 12 men on the field to give the Broncos a second shot at the kick, which was hardly Dorsey’s fault). The team could have let Brady call plays while revising Dorsey’s duties; instead, he was marched out of the building, leaving an emotional Allen blaming himself for the firing.

In any case, the odds of McDermott serving as both the defensive coordinator and head coach in 2024 are small and fading.

“He won’t be wearing both hats next year,” as one general manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to discuss the inner workings of other clubs, put it. “Pegula is going to want someone else in there.”

There is also wide skepticism in the industry that Brady’s ascension will stoke an offensive revival. Brady was an expert at playing the media — he was once a hotshot head coaching candidate, or so some reporters would have you think — whose star fizzled on Matt Rhule’s staff in Carolina. The higher he rose, the more holes were poked in his offense, and it’s doubtful he can be the kind of bad cop that Daboll was to nip Allen’s poor decision-making and turnover jags in the bud.

“He kinda got exposed in Carolina,” the GM said of Brady. “I don’t think he’s going to get that turned around.”

Allen leads the NFL in turnovers since he entered the league in 2018, and those mistakes seem to have become a force of their own, with a gravitational pull too strong for the likes of Brady to fix. Allen tops the league with 14 giveaways this season and has committed at least one turnover in six straight games, with nine total in that span. It’s the kind of thing that could get a coach — or at least a couple of coordinators — fired.

The 5-5 Bills’ remaining schedule is among the most daunting in the NFL and McDermott’s defense, pummeled by injuries and ranked a shocking 24th in yards allowed per play, will have difficulty holding up over the challenging road ahead. He’ll have his hands full dealing with inevitable departures and with the future of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. And someone else will quite likely be installing the defense.

Article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/18/bills-sean-mcdermott-josh-allen/

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