With the change at offensive coordinator to Pete Carmichael, Jr., head coach Joe Brady will still be calling plays, intending to provide assurance to Bills Mafia of stability in the team's direction in 2026.
After a period with former offensive coordinators Brian Daboll and Ken Dorsey, who were very pass-happy, the Bills turned to Brady. They adopted a ground-and-pound approach, with James Cook winning the rushing title in 2025.
This year's squad has talented players in the wide receiver room. Led by the trade acquisition of D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears, showing the team's obligation to reinforce their roster. The team also returns its leading receiver from last year, Khalil Shakir, who will look to keep taking advantage of Brady's screen passes. Another receiver who fits the screen game well is rookie Skyler Bell, their fourth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Let's take a look at how the Bills offense might be more balanced under Joe Brady in 2026.
How Bills' offense should be run under Joe Brady in 2026
Why Bills might run the ball more
Over the last three years, with James Cook as their starting running back, the Bills have spent the last two years in the Top 5 in offense. Cook has rushed for an amazing 1,000+ yards in all three seasons.
Last year, the Bills had a higher rushing-to-passing ratio because Cook is a power back with top-notch speed and an underrated ability to run between the tackles at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
With Brady at the helm, look for the Bills to continue pushing the ground game and make no major changes to it this season.
Why will Bills look to throw the ball more
One area of focus for Brady and Carmichael Jr. should be calling more pass plays, as they have their superstar quarterback, Josh Allen, leading this franchise. While Allen has been consistently stellar every year since he entered the league in 2018, he could be even better of a quarterback by having him throw the ball as much as they run the ball.
The 6-foot-5, 237-pound signal-caller has already won an MVP award back in 2024, when he used a receiver-by-committee approach in which everyone shared the ball equally. Now with Moore in the mix, Allen may finally have a No. 1 receiver who could crack 1,000+ yards since Stefon Diggs back in 2023.
Bills Mafia knows how much Brady loves to maximize the screen game. However, besides running it with Shakir and Bell, he may be able to involve his two running backs, Cook and Ray Davis, in the running-back screen game, which was a staple of the Bills during their 4 straight trips to the Super Bowl in the 1990s.
And if the Bills set up the halfback screen game as well as they did back then, they may incorporate some tempo by having Allen run to the line quickly and snap the ball.
Overall, the Bills should pass the ball 60 % of the time, compared to 40 % when they run the ball. They want to finally have a direct balance between airing the ball out and scoring quickly, while also running the ball at will if the defense can't stop it. It will result in taking large chunks of time off the clock.
It really all comes down to the team being ready to adapt to the ever-changing, fast-paced, varied game situations it will face each week.
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