Joe Brady is now the Bills’ head coach. The move has split fans, but there are real reasons for optimism based on timing and belief.
When the Buffalo Bills decided to stick with Joe Brady and make him head coach, the reaction felt split...at best. Some were ready to talk themselves into it. Others immediately focused on what could go wrong. And honestly, both sides have a point.
But if you’re looking strictly at the reasons this could work, there’s more there than it might seem at first glance.
Start with the results. During Brady’s time running the offense, the Bills quietly became the best running team in football. Not just improved. The best. First in rushing yards. First in attempts. First in touchdowns. That doesn’t happen by accident, especially on a team built around a quarterback like Josh Allen.
Zoom out a bit more and the overall offensive production holds up. The Bills were consistently near the top of the league in yards and points. Allen won his MVP in this system. Around the league, Brady has been viewed as one of the brighter offensive minds on the rise.
That reputation didn’t come out of nowhere.
There’s also a narrative that’s going to exist whether anyone likes it or not. The idea that Sean McDermott may have capped the offense at times. That maybe Brady wasn’t fully empowered, and that the ceiling could be higher if he’s actually in charge. This move puts that theory to the test. If the offense jumps, the answer becomes obvious. If it doesn’t, there’s nowhere to hide.
The Josh Allen Effect
Allen’s role in all of this can’t be ignored. Publicly or privately, it’s hard to believe this decision happened without his blessing. Allen was in every interview and, for the most part, has been excellent with Brady calling plays. You can argue whether that’s because Brady is special or because Allen would be great no matter what, but that’s not really the point. The reality is Allen has been comfortable, confident, and productive in this setup, and that matters.
There’s no clean way to separate how much of Allen’s success belongs to him and how much belongs to the system. You’re never going to see prime Allen with another coordinator in the same environment for comparison. All you can do is judge what’s actually happened, and what’s happened is more success than not.
The Goal Remains The Same
Timing is a huge part of this decision. The Bills aren’t rebuilding. They’re not in a position to take a big swing on someone who’s never called plays before and hope it works out. The clock is ticking, whether anyone wants to say it out loud or not. Allen’s prime doesn’t last forever, and neither does a Super Bowl window.
That urgency likely pushed them toward familiarity. Brady knows the players. He knows the building. He knows how things have been run. When you need to win sooner rather than later, that comfort level carries real value.
There’s also a bigger-picture angle at play here. The offense has been productive, but it’s often felt like there’s another level to be reached. Buffalo has scored 30 or more points and still left people frustrated. They’ve put up 40 in games that somehow felt sloppy.
That disconnect is real, and it’s a fair criticism.
That’s why this move is interesting, even if it’s not exciting. There’s a belief that the offense can still take a jump, and that belief didn’t come from nowhere. Around the league, we’ve seen teams lose coordinators who were clearly ready for more, only to watch them thrive somewhere else almost immediately. Nobody wants to be the team that let that guy walk.
There may also be a structural benefit here. If the offense is going to be fine, then maybe the focus needs to shift elsewhere. The defense has been the side that’s let this team down in the biggest moments. This move could allow for clearer responsibilities. Let the offense operate. Bring in defensive leadership with one job and one job only, fixing what’s been broken.
None of this guarantees anything. There’s risk, and there’s uncertainty. That’s unavoidable.
But if you’re looking for reasons to be optimistic, they’re there. Not because this move feels safe, but because it feels intentional. And at this stage, intentional might be the most important thing of all.