Joe Brady
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Joe Brady has made an outside the box approach after taking over as the Bills new head coach
The Buffalo Bills look a little bit different heading into free agency this offseason. Head coach Sean McDermott is no longer with the team after getting fired in the wake of their latest playoff defeat, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady being promoted to take over as his replacement.
The decision to hire Brady, despite his ties to McDermott, was somewhat of a surprise. However, he has quickly moved to work on assembling a strong coaching staff, and the early returns are encouraging. And while it will be a while until Buffalo returns to the field, Brady has made it clear that his work as the team’s new head coach has already gotten underway.
Joe Brady Working on Rebuilding Bills’ Culture
During his meteoric rise throughout the coaching ranks in the NFL, Brady has worked primarily on the offensive side of the ball. Heck, a big reason why Brady is believed to have gotten this job is because of the relationship he has with the team’s superstar quarterback, Josh Allen. However, Brady has to expand his focus and begin working with the entire roster now.
While McDermott did a lot of things well during his time in Buffalo, Brady has identified the team’s culture as an area that could use improving. So while the start of the 2026 regular season is months away, Brady has taken it upon himself to get the ball rolling in that department in the immediate aftermath of getting hired.
Of course, that’s a tall task. While Brady does have familiarity with the makeup of this Bills roster, he’s obviously more familiar with the guys on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, Brady is working hard on building on his relationship with Buffalo’s defensive players, and he sent a clear message on what he wants to see from his team in this department moving forward.
“Culture is a verb to me,” Brady said. “It’s the people that we have in this building and what they do, the personalities that our guys have, that’s our culture. Josh Allen has such a great pulse of what we have, and I think our guys feed off him … I want our guys to be the best version of themselves. I want them to be to their personality.”
Joe Brady Hits the Ground Running as Bills’ New Head Coach
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 27: Offensive coordinator Joe Brady stands with Mitchell Trubisky #11 and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 27, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Taking over a team with Super Bowl expectations for your first head coaching gig in the NFL is never going to be easy, but Brady is uniquely positioned to excel in this role. Again, he is already familiar with the Bills for the most part, and he’s assembled a star-studded coaching staff that is full of guys who can help him push his message across to the team.
It is going to take Brady some time to fully learn the ropes of his new job, but that’s true of every first-time head coach. Once he gets the hang of things and his team understands what he’s looking for from them, Buffalo could be capable of finally making the sort of championship run they simply were not capable of during McDermott’s time in charge.