Bills Most Significant Mistake and Biggest Triumph of 2026 Offseason Involve Joe Brady, Skyler Bell

The Bills began the offseason with a questionable coaching change but later added a couple of talented players to boost their passing game.

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady calls out during drills on the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford Wednesday, July 24, 2024. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of all of the Buffalo Bills’ offseason happenings, there was one move that stuck out as the team’s biggest mistake and another as its most significant triumph.

As far as where the Bills erred, it was their first move of the offseason, when they hired Joe Brady to be their next head coach. However, it wasn’t all bad for Buffalo over the past several months, as it proceeded to bring in a few key pieces to bolster its chances of getting over the hump in 2026, particularly at the wide receiver position.

When it’s all said and done, how the Bills fare when the season kicks off in September will determine whether the aforementioned decisions were beneficial or detrimental to the team’s chances. But for now, Buffalo’s decision-making over the past several months has been hot and cold, and here’s why.

I'm not sold Brady is the guy

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There were many causes for concern regarding the Bills’ offensive production, particularly in the passing game, last season, and with Brady serving as the leader of that unit, it’s fair to question if he deserved the promotion he received when he was bumped from offensive coordinator to head coach.

The Bills often got off to slow starts during the 2025 campaign, specifically on four separate occasions when they failed to manage more than seven first-half points in critical matchups with the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. Things were so bad for the Bills’ offensively against Miami and Philadelphia that they failed to score a single point across the first three quarters of play.

Much of Buffalo’s struggles came through the air, as it produced only 3,683 yards passing, which was the 15th most in the league. Additionally, quarterback Josh Allen was sacked 40 times, a career high. No matter what the Bills did a season ago, they found it challenging to solve their woes, both moving the ball through the air and protecting the passer. And somehow, the coordinator who was leading that group is now leading the entire team, which doesn’t appear to be a recipe for improvement in such a key area offensively.

A big boost at wide receiver

Connecticut Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the touchdown catch against the Buffalo Bulls in the second quarter at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Two moves that may help Brady rise to the challenge in his first season as head coach were the additions of wide receivers DJ Moore, acquired via trade with the Chicago Bears, and rookie WR Skyler Bell, selected with the 125th overall pick in the fourth round of this year’s draft.

Moore cost the Bills a second-round pick, which killed some of the value of the deal, but there is no question that the veteran WR will instantly become Buffalo’s top target on the outside. He should deliver a level of play that we haven’t seen from a Bills pass catcher since the team traded away Stefon Diggs before the 2024 campaign.

The 29-year-old has seen his raw numbers decline over the past two seasons, finishing last year with a career low 682 yards receiving and 50 receptions. However, he has continued to display a strong ability to get open, as his average target separation of 3.3 yards was ranked inside the top 15 among players at his position last season.

Bell will complement Moore well, as the 6-foot, 185-pound target is just the second WR the Bills have drafted in the fourth round or higher since six drafts [Keon Coleman, second round 2024]. According to RAS.football Bell’s relative athletic score [RAS] of 9.71 out of a possible 10 ranks 111th out of 3,830 wide receivers scored since 1987.

He also recorded plenty of production while performing at the collegiate level, finishing his five-year career with 220 receptions, 2,893 yards and 24 touchdowns in 52 games played for UConn and Wisconsin.

Between Moore and Bell, if the Bills’ wide receiver corps isn’t vastly improved this season, something will have gone drastically wrong.