ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — There’s a new coach and yet a familiar question in Buffalo: Can Joe Brady do what Sean McDermott failed to accomplish over nine years and finally lead Josh Allen and the Bills to the Super Bowl?
That’s the belief owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane had in choosing to hire from within by promoting the offensive coordinator in January.
No pressure, right?
The road ahead, nonetheless, is daunting not just for the 36-year-old Brady, who has no previous head coaching experience, but also for Beane to validate Pegula’s trust in retaining and adding the title of president of football operations.
Deserving as Beane is for transforming the Bills into near perennial contenders since arriving in May 2017, the 49-year-old also shares the blame for a team Pegula concluded hit the “proverbial playoff wall.” In losing to Denver in the AFC divisional round, Buffalo became the NFL’s first team to win a playoff round in six consecutive years without a Super Bowl appearance.
The challenge for Beane is retooling the Bills on the fly to fit the aggressive approach Brady took on offence to a defence that has too often wilted in the post-season. And with little room to maneuver under the salary cap, the emphasis is on adding talent in the draft.
Buffalo opens with the 26th pick, with Beane already spending draft capital by dealing his second-round selection to Chicago to acquire receiver DJ Moore.
Necessary as the acquisition was in adding an established receiver, the trade opened old questions as to whether Beane did enough to surround Allen with talent in the wake of dealing Stefon Diggs two years ago.
Buffalo’s other key off-season addition was landing veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
Beane’s draft record, meantime, has been spotty, while also an indication of how difficult it is to identify talent when selecting no higher than 23rd in each of the past six years.
With Moore on board, and much of Buffalo’s offence returning, expect Beane to address a defensive position with the unit transitioning to a 3-4 style under new coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Need
Linebacker, edge rusher, cornerback, offensive line depth.
Though LB Terrel Bernard returns after an injury-limited season, the Bills are thin at the position after choosing not to re-sign Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson, who both remain free agents. Edge/LB Michael Hoecht’s timetable to return from a torn Achilles tendon is also in question.
Don’t need
Safety, running back and to a lesser extent receiver.
Cole Bishop adeptly took over a starting safety spot in his second season, while fellow starter Taylor Rapp was released. Buffalo addressed Rapp’s departure by signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone in free agency, and re-signing Damar Hamlin.
Pick’em
Difficult to project who will be available at No. 26, though the Bills could potentially target edge rushers Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) and Zion Young (Missouri), linebacker CJ Allen (Georgia) or receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana). Cooper’s addition could lead to Buffalo consider trading Keon Coleman or Josh Palmer.
Allen turning 30
Allen is entering his ninth season. The quarterback turns 30 in May, and recently celebrated the birth of his first child, a girl, with wife/actor Hailee Steinfeld. He reported for the start of voluntary workouts last week, after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot in January.
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