This offseason is going to be a wild one for the Buffalo Bills. Two days after their playoff exit, the Bills created major chaos with the firing of Sean McDermott. After a ton of uncertainty and a lengthy process in such a short amount of time, the Bills picked Joe Brady to take the lead as their next head coach.
With Buffalo going with a young offensive mind who has been in the building since 2022, it keeps continuity but also gives the Bills a new leader after having the same one of nine seasons. Don’t get me wrong, Sean McDermott was an amazing coach who turned around the franchise.
He just couldn’t get the job done of reaching or winning the Super Bowl. A change was definitely needed.
With Brady coming in now, he will have the chance to put his voice out there on who would be great for the roster and with free agency coming up here in March, there are some offensive players from the Bills who are set to hit free agency, that may come back now that Brady is in charge.
Pending free agents who have great chance at coming back to Bills after Joe Brady hire
C Connor McGovern
As the anchor of the offensive line, Connor McGovern has been such an important player for the BIlls. He was signed to Buffalo in 2023 as a guard, but then he moved to center after Mitch Morse was released in 2024. Since then, his pass protection has been one of the best in the league.
For as great as Josh Allen is, he still needs to be protected upfront. Both McGovern and David Edwards are pending free agents, but McGovern is more valuable. Buffalo has to make it a priority to bring him back.
FB Reggie Gilliam
Reggie Gilliam is the most underrated player on the Bills. He helped lead the way for this rushing attack that was the best in the NFL this past season, and he has never failed to push Josh Allen over the line on the tush push to pick up the first down.
Gilliam signed a one-year deal last offseason and with the way that Brady has created this rushing attack, having Gilliam back is more important than ever.
WR Brandin Cooks
The Bills were down bad at the wide receiver position. In the second half of the season, the Bills needed someone who could stretch the field. After the New Orleans Saints released Brandin Cooks, the Bills didn’t want long to sign him to the active roster.
It took Cooks a little bit to adjust, obviously. However, his ability to stretch the field helped open up the play action and it allowed the Bills to get a little more creative. While the Bills need to bring in more playmakers on the outside, bringing back Cooks to be a great veteran presence and still being a fast receiver could benefit Joe Brady in Year 1 as the head coach.