The Buffalo Bills had enough. Sean McDermott was a very good head coach. His teams, however, were never great -- at least not when it counted.
Thus, the franchise responsible for the most consecutive Super Bowl appearances without a win opted out of limbo. That placed a large wager at the feet of promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady helped design prolific offenses at both the college and pro levels. He also was buoyed by otherworldly quarterbacks -- Joe Burrow at LSU and Josh Allen now.
Brady's 2025 playcalling didn't inspire confidence... unless you really, really think bubble screens are the key to prosperity. What's he working with in 2026?
Key addition: WR D.J. Moore
Moore underwhelmed his last two seasons as a Chicago Bear. He's 29 years old and will have
the opportunity to settle back into a WR1 role despite signs of decline, leading a group that includes Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer and a still-on-the-roster-despite-getting-scapegoated Keon Coleman.
After 60.8 expected points added at wideout for the Bears in 2023, he hit 14.7… his last two years combined. Can he be the huckleberry Josh Allen needs to lead Buffalo to something better than January disappointment? Or will he fade into the mélange of inconsistent receivers who've haunted the Bills since Stefon Diggs' departure?
Key departure: HC Sean McDermott
Bills leadership decided good was the enemy of great and fired McDermott, who won nearly two-thirds of his regular season games as the team's head coach over the previous nine seasons (98-50). In his place is promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, whose screen-heavy attack doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Brady's been blessed with some of the best quarterbacks in the world in his coaching career (Joe Burrow at LSU, Josh Allen in Buffalo) but has to prove he shaped their careers and not the other way around.
The long-tenured head coach worked wonders with the defense, crafting a top-five unit four of the last seven years. But that group backslid the last two seasons and the rise of the New England Patriots spurred a move that could either unlock a new level of play for the Bills or a whole lot of regret.
Potential 2026 breakout player: G O'Cyrus Torrence
Torrence stepped into a starting role at guard as a second round rookie in 2023. He played a significant role in a rushing offense that gained a league-high 2,714 yards and finished second in both yards per carry and expected points added (EPA) per run.
The Bills recognized this and signed him to a $76 million extension this offseason, showcasing the gap between NFL evaluators and Pro Football Focus offensive line grades, where he lingered in the 50s in the 0-100 scale. The 330-pounder has yet to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors, but reports out of Buffalo this preseason have been glowing.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 5 (again, this is purely EPA based, Allen is being underrated here)
- WR corps rank: 23
- RB corps rank: 11
- TE corps rank: 9
Will they improve in 2026?
I'm skeptical. It's possible that Brady exceeds expectations and Moore reverses the trend we saw take hold in 2025. But this largely looks like the same team we've seen the past few seasons -- a good, dangerous team destined to come tantalizingly close to glory.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bills 2026 season preview: Was Sean McDermott's 'good' the enemy of 'great?'
