Buffalo Bills One Reason for Optimism and One Reason for Concern Identified

This past season ended in disappointment for the Buffalo Bills, who lost to the Denver Broncos in the second round of the NFL playoffs.

After the loss, the Bills decided to fire Sean McDermott, who had a 98-50 record in nine seasons as the head coach. McDermott was also 8-8 in the playoffs, but his inability to get to the Super Bowl proved to be his undoing.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was promoted to head coach and has three new coordinators to work with. There will be plenty of pressure on this staff, since they’re running a team ready to win now.

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That roster, led by Josh Allen, was identified by SI.com's Matt Verderame as the primary reason Buffalo should be hopeful in 2026.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks on during warmups before the game against the New York Jets. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

"Hope: Buffalo has a superstar quarterback in Josh Allen and the game’s leading rusher in James Cook to pair with an excellent offensive line," Verderame wrote.

Josh Allen and James Cook have both been tremendous over the past two seasons. They’ve given the offense enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with any team and with both locked up long-term, there’s reason for hope in Buffalo.

Even Brady being promoted is a positive for the offense, since it means Allen doesn’t have to learn a new scheme and can pick up where he left off.

All the pressure should be on Brandon Beane this offseason

Brandon Beane, president of football operations and general manager for the Buffalo Bills. — Brandon Beane, president of football operations and general manager for the Buffalo Bills, and head coach Joe Brady take turns answering questions. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In addition to his reason for hope, Verderame picked a reason the fan base could mope. His concern is that they made McDermott a scapegoat, essentially taking the blame away from general manager Brandon Beane, and put it all on McDermott.

"Mope: The Bills fired Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, essentially taking the position that McDermott is completely at fault for the team’s recent failures,” Verderame wrote.

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That’s an unfortunate stance for the team to take, since Beane is the one who built the roster. He deserves praise for much of the success because of this, but his inability to fix the wide receiver position has been detrimental.

Instead of feeling the pressure that he should, Beane is sitting pretty. Before McDermott even packed up his office, Beane was given a promotion, with president of football operations added to his title.

Hopefully he understands what he has to do to fix the roster, but fans should be concerned that he has yet to face any consequences for his shortcomings.