Bills HC Sean McDermott named ‘hot candidate’

Sean McDermott is objectively the most successful head coach employed by the Buffalo Bills in recent decades. He has overhauled the team and put his signature stamp on it since being hired in 2017, instilling an oft-talked-about culture that has helped the Bills become one of the league’s most competitive teams over the past half-year. -decade. He is already the franchise’s second most successful head coach of all time, leading the team to four straight AFC East titles and the playoffs in six of his seven seasons at the helm.

McDermott, along with general manager Brandon Beane and quarterback Josh Allen, are the architects of Buffalo’s recent period of contention… but some feel like the time for a change is imminent.

The secondary boss, despite all the positive changes he introduced in Buffalo, struggled to “get over the hump”, often making questionable decisions in crucial moments that directly led to unfavorable results. The team has only appeared in one AFC Championship Game during its recent period of prominence, with that 38-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 NFL season being the closest that she ever got to sniff the Super Bowl.

For some, that just isn’t enough, especially since the team is buoyed by a perennial MVP candidate in Allen. Pundits and fans have proposed the idea of ​​leaving McDermott in favor of a new voice with new ideas and a different perspective. CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin is in that camp; In a recent article ranking eight NFL coaches who are “on shaky ground” entering the new campaign, the analyst listed McDermott as a “preferred candidate.”

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“Not only does McDermott come from the Andy Reid tree, but his head coach takes over all but the beginning of Reid’s career with the Philadelphia Eagles, when year after year of regular season success – and resilient locker room culture – was overshadowed only by a failure to reach the big game,” Benjamin wrote. “In this way, it’s hard to imagine that Buffalo is really considering a change at the top. And yet McDermott’s teams only reached. n one AFC title game in five seasons with MVP-level Josh Allen as full-time quarterback Now overseeing a revamped roster, the coach’s long-term outlook is murkier than expected. habit.

Benjamin notes that McDermott is now “overseeing a revised roster,” which would seem to signal internal confidence in the secondary boss. The team made a concerted effort to rejuvenate this offseason, maneuvers executed to extend the championship window – McDermott was retained amid the changes, indicating the team is confident in his ability to lead the team into an era refreshed.

McDermott’s safety and professional status will ultimately depend on the team’s performance during the 2024 season (which, of course, can be said for all NFL coaches). If the team significantly underperforms expectations, then yes, McDermott will likely be shown the door at the end of the year. If Buffalo, however, builds a season similar to its recent campaigns (solid regular season with a few playoff wins), it would be hard to imagine the team moving on from its head coach, especially as the team looks this season . as a transitional measure.

That said, Allen isn’t getting any younger. He still has several premier seasons left and is clearly enjoying success under McDermott, but if the team ever reaches the point where it feels it has accomplished all it can with the veteran at the helm, a move could be necessary.