The Buffalo Bills have faced a mountain of criticism for their work on defense in 2025. Some of it has been warranted, while others’ finger-pointing has ignored the injury situation and suspension issues. After a two-game losing streak where the defense couldn’t stop the ghost of Red Grange, many in Bills Country were looking for a change out of defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.
Some had wondered if head coach Sean McDermott should take over calling defensive plays, with some wondering if that was
the case in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. According to Nick Sabato, McDermott confirmed that he was calling plays “in conjunction” with Babich. In Sabato saying “(c)onfirmed today,” there’s some confusion at this point whether Sabato received confirmation that McDermott worked in tandem with Babich in Week 6 (Atlanta) and Week 8 (Carolina), or if it was just the case as an either/or for Falcons and Panthers.
ESPN Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg followed that up by sharing McDermott stating the following:
“Bobby and I have done it together. We really have. And that’ll continue. So, Bobby’s a great coach. We’ve done it together. We’ll continue to do it together.”
In typical McDermott fashion, neither bit of information does much to settle exactly who’s responsible for calling the majority of the defense and when the co-responsibility began. It’s possible it started when Babich took over, but it’s also possible this is new as of the past couple games.
It’s safe to say that McDermott isn’t planning on making sweeping changes at defensive play caller, but he may continue to be found with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Really, that make sense for a head coach who cut his teeth well as a defensive mind and former coordinator/play caller on that side of the game.
This is not a new precedent for the defensive-minded McDermott. You may recall McDermott took over calling plays at points during former defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier’s tenure. Then following Frazier’s departure, McDermott also took on the role of defensive coordinator/defensive play caller for the 2023 season.
