The Buffalo Bills transition to a completely new Jim Leonhard-coordinated defense this season has justifiably generated the most intrigue from fans and media alike.
I’m most excited to witness Joe Brady’s offense work.
And I’m suggesting the Bills return to their pass-obsessed ways from two offensive coordinators before Brady started calling plays in Orchard Park in 2023.
During the Bills breakout AFC East-winning 2020 campaign, when they advanced to the AFC Championship Game, they had the NFL’s highest
first-down pass rate in all situations at 61% and the highest first-down pass rate in neutral situations — when the point margin was between -8 and +8— at a whopping 64% during the regular season.
Brian Daboll was called those plays.
Clearly, he was one of the first to realize Josh Allen’s supreme capabilities — and helped cultivate them — along with the team’s embarrassment of riches at the receiver position. That dynamic likely made it relatively easy for Daboll to lean into the pass game, and it worked magnificently.
Remember that 44-34 win over the Seahawks, when Allen dropped back to pass 31 times to just two Bills run plays in the first half? They scored 24 points in the first two quarters that day.
The 2020 Bills offense was genuinely an absolute wagon.
They remained the NFL’s top first-down pass rate team in 2021 and were second in that advanced metric in 2022 under Ken Dorsey.
Of course, personnel does often dictate how teams conduct themselves on the field. And we have an inkling Sean McDermott did want to emphasize a punishing ground game over the past few seasons — and particularly in 2025. Frankly, his philosophy mostly worked, as the Bills got back to another AFC Championship Game and were a blown call away from a third trip last season all while James Cook won the rushing title.
Plus, the Bills receiving group — beyond Khalil Shakir — was one of the worst in the NFL a season ago.
During the 2025 regular season (discounting Week 18’s game against the Jets for obvious reasons), the Bills passed on 33.3% of their neutral situation first downs, which was the lowest rate in football.
On first downs in all situations, the Bills passed the ball only 39% of the time.
Do I think DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir and [insert whoever wins the WR3 gig] stack up with prime Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown? No.
But you know what is the same from those 2020-2022 Bills offenses?
Allen.
And Moore represents Buffalo’s most aggressive investment in the receiver position since Diggs. Cannot forget about the presence of Dalton Kincaid either, who was the NFL’s most prolific tight end on a per-snap basis last season.
Old-school football purists might push back against this idea because of Cook’s presence and the strength of Buffalo’s offensive line.
Cook has undoubtedly grown as a runner, is now an established big-play threat carrying the football, and has been one of the Bills most reliable weapons the past two seasons.
However, this pass-happy suggestion would prolong his prime, as he’s close to the 1,000-touch mark in his NFL career, and the cliff for modern-day backs is right around 1,800 touches.
Fortunately, Cook is only a little more than halfway to the 1,500 carry cliff, yet does turn 27 in late September. Most even elite-level backs began to lose efficiency between 27 and 29. While Cook is relatively fresh for his age, avoiding a second-straight 300 carry season wouldn’t be the worst thing for him — or the Bills offense. And Cook’s presence can serve as a luxurious contingency plan when weather strikes or for a game when the pass offense isn’t clicking at its normal rate.
Because for as good as Cook has become, Allen is the best player in the Bills (and in the NFL) with a firm grasp on Brady’s offense, just like he had on Daboll’s offense before the 2020 campaign when the Bills went passing berserk and fielded its most efficient offense since the early 1990s.
