The Buffalo Bills moved quickly after firing Sean McDermott, keeping their coaching transition in-house by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. While Brady has yet to name a new offensive coordinator,
one thing is already clear and arguably an more important decision than any offensive staff hire that comes next.
Joe Brady will remain the offensive play caller on game day.
Love it or hate it it’s been decided, Brady is the guy. In a league where head coaches often delegate play-calling duties in the name of balance, Brady is choosing continuity, confidence, and results.
An Elite Offense by Any Measure
Under Brady’s direction, the Bills have quietly become one of the most efficient offenses in football, even without elite receiving talent.
Advanced metrics tell the story:
- 2025:
- 3rd in EPA per play
- 2nd in Success Rate
- 2024:
- 2nd in EPA per play
- 7th in Success Rate
Those aren’t empty efficiency stats. They reflect an offense that consistently stays ahead of the chains and maximizes each offensive possession.
Brady didn’t just scheme up success through the air either. He built an elite run game, one that forced defenses into impossible choices and unlocked the full scope of Buffalo’s offense.
Consistent Production, Year After Year
Raw production followed right alongside the efficiency.
Bills yards per game under Brady:
- 2023: 4th (374.5 YDS/G)
- 2024: 10th (359.1 YDS/G)
- 2025: 4th (376.3 YDS/G)
Even in a “down” statistical year, Buffalo still finished top-10 league-wide. In 2025, the Bills paired that yardage with scoring, finishing with the fourth-highest points per game in the NFL.
Playoff Proof of Concept
Perhaps the most telling endorsement of Brady calling his own plays comes in the postseason.Brady has now called seven playoff games, and the offense has elevated instead of shrinking. Yes, Josh Allen made mistakes in Denver, but that was blame he accepted fault for.
Josh Allen in those postseason games:
- 70.2% completion rate
- 12 passing TDs, 2 INTs
- 7.0 yards per attempt
- 104 passer rating
- 72 rushing attempts, 350 yards
- 7 rushing TDs
Through those same games, the offense as a whole averaged:
- 3.01 points per drive
- 28.4 points per game
Those are championship-level numbers. Now Brady needs to pair it with a championship-level defense and give the team and fans what they’ve waited generations for.
The Ceiling Hasn’t Even Been Reached
What makes Brady retaining play-calling duties especially intriguing is what hasn’t happened yet.
The Bills have produced top-tier offenses with subpar or inconsistent receiving talent. Add legitimate upgrades at wide receiver with someone who can create separation on the outside, and this unit doesn’t just remain efficient, it has the potential to become explosive.
That someone at boundary receiver would hopefully give Brady less reason to run so many bubble screens and jet sweeps. Everyone can agree that’s one facet of Brady’s offense that needs to change.
