The Buffalo Bills have been one of the NFL’s most interesting teams lately, and they capped it off by promoting Joe Brady to head coach. This weird and winding saga leaves the Bills in really strange territory, but there’s no denying that Brady has been a positive influence on their offense. Whether or not he can man the whole team remains to be seen.
Buffalo Bills promote Joe Brady from OC to HC
When Joe Brady first burst onto the scene, many thought he’d revolutionize the NFL and quickly rise up the ranks. The first thing hasn’t really transpired. He has, however, risen up the ranks. He was first hired in 2021 by the Carolina Panthers.
The offense there did not translate very well, and he was fired after almost two full seasons. After that, he landed with the Buffalo Bills in 2022. He was named interim offensive coordinator in 2023, and he took that job full-time in 2024.
Brady oversaw the offense, which led to Josh Allen’s MVP. He got some head coach looks in this cycle. Ultimately, the Bills felt he was the best replacement for Sean McDermott. This is likely because of his success with Allen.
He’s just 36, which makes him the youngest head coach in the sport. Sean McVay was the youngest head coach hire in NFL history in 2017 when he was just 30 years old. That bold swing paid off for the Los Angeles Rams. Will the Bills’ risk bring the same reward?
Brady was always expected to arrive early in the NFL and become one of its most prominent figures. He was not at all expected to take this weird, circuitous route to the head coaching job, though. That makes it a bit of a surprise and certainly a risk.
Things have been weird for the Bills
The Bills are in the headlines these days for all the wrong reasons. Firing Sean McDermott was a surprise, and many don’t believe it was the right choice for the franchise. However, moving on from an entrenched head coach who hasn’t won big in the playoffs isn’t always a bad idea.
If they nail the hire, which time will tell whether or not they did, then it’s generally a good thing. It’s really hard to determine whether or not Joe Brady will work out. He’s 36 and doesn’t have a wealth of NFL experience since he first came up from the college ranks (without ever calling plays at that level) in early 2020.
This all came after the firing of McDermott and the promotion of GM Billy Beane. Many would point to a lack of support on offense as to why the Bills fell short this year, which would fall on the GM. However, in promoting Beane, the Bills seemed to indicate that they disagree with that sentiment.
Then, owner Terry Pegula went on record blaming fired head coach McDermott for the Keon Coleman pick. Coleman not panning out is why the Bills don’t have a stud wide receiver, and Pegula publicly pinned the blame on the coach.
This is weird on all fronts because if the team’s failing, why is one person getting promoted? And why is the GM not responsible for personnel decisions? Plus, pre-draft video shows how enamored Beane was with Coleman, who is still on the team.
The Bills are a mess right now
So to recap, the Bills fired their coach for a playoff loss, blamed a poor draft pick on the coach, promoted the GM who made the pick that is still on the roster, interviewed a 44-year-old former QB who just played a few weeks ago, and then promoted their offensive coordinator at just 36 years old.
Josh Allen is good enough to mask deficiencies. He’s been able to succeed without much help from the incoming drafts, which is why the Coleman pick is so hotly debated. Will he be good enough to mask a bad GM getting a promotion and an inexperienced offensive coordinator taking over a team? Time will tell.
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