When Joe Brady took over as the interim offensive coordinator in the middle of last season for the Buffalo Bills, it was a change that was an upgrade from what it was under Ken Dorsey. After a dominant three week stretch from Week 2-Week 5, the Bills’ offense looked awful. No other way to say it. Josh Allen and the offense looked weak and were struggling to get into the redzone, or even punching the ball in. The offense was heavily focused on getting the ball to Stefon Diggs and Allen looked like he was trying to force the big plays that ultimately was part of the reason why the Bills fell into a slump from Week 5 and on.
After a Week 10 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Bills parted ways with Dorsey and gave the keys to Joe Brady as the interim offensive coordinator. A new look offense was created under Brady. It was no longer the Allen-to-Diggs show. Instead, Bills fans saw guys like Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, James Cook and even Ty Johnson become more involved with the offense. Buffalo’s run game came alive, averaging 150 yards per game under Brady while the pass production took a bit of a hit. However, seeing how the Bills won games without Allen needing to take over shows that Brady is taking pressure off his star quarterback. The Bills only lost twice when Brady took over the offense, once in a high-scoring affair with the Philadelphia Eagles and the other coming in the playoffs where the Buffalo defense fell apart in the second half.
Brady is the official offensive coordinator heading into 2024 and he has the chance to build up his career and potentially earn himself a head coaching job in the future.
Joe Brady is being overlooked heading into next season
Bradley Locker from Pro Football Focus published a list of eight NFL coordinators who could be impactful members of their respective teams going into 2024. Maybe it’s because we already saw what Brady can do as the offensive coordinator for the Bills, but Locker left Brady off of this list which is a mistake.
Buffalo is going from having Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis to Shakir, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chase Claypool, Curtis Samuel and Keon Coleman. On paper, it looks like a downgrade but all that matters is what takes place on the field. Who knows, this new look offense will provide more excitement because there is a lot of uncertainty.
Brady has an uphill battle this season seeing as how the Bills have almost a brand new receiver room, but Shakir and Kincaid are back who have experience with Brady’s system. Even though there is a lot of uncertainty in Buffalo’s offense, as long as Josh Allen is playing at a high level, Brady will have the chance to keep elevating this offense. Think of it this way, if Brady can take this offense to new heights with Allen and the supporting cast he has, he will get himself some head coaching interest going into next season.