Buffalo Bills: Sean McDermott in no danger of losing his job in 2018

Sean McDermott has made some questionable decisions during his time as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but his job appears to be safe for now.

One NFL team has already fired its head coach this season. And there are plenty more to go between now and the offseason.

The Buffalo Bills don’t seem to be headed for major change this offseason, which is a good thing.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote a piece looking at 10 potential head coaching openings in 2019. He did not include the Bills, and I have to agree with him on that.

McDermott showed up in 2017 and took the Bills to the playoffs with a roster still under construction by Brandon Beane. Things have obviously been much worse in 2018, but it is not McDermott’s fault that he had to choose between Derek Anderson and Nathan Peterman at quarterback.

I have to believe that both Beane and McDermott knew that regression would likely take place this season. The players and coaches have fought hard every week, but it is clear that player development is a main focus this year.

The key for McDermott will be to finish 2019 with a better record than what the Bills finish with this season. Making the playoffs in his first year bought him at least a third year. However, he will be out the door if the Bills somehow finish at the bottom of the league in 2019.

The only way his job status would change is if the team came out flat for the final six weeks and wasn’t remotely competitive. But that is not going to happen. The team has been fighting all season, even though the results haven’t always been pretty.

Retaining a head coach helps keep stability in an organization and allows a swift transition from the regular season to the offseason. Everyone can continue to show up to the facility with the same goals in mind and accept this year as one rough step toward being a perennial contender.

2019 is the year when we can be more critical.