By Jack Stewart
This offseason is going to be a challenge for Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and the rest of his front office. The team is coming off the heels of another devastating loss, the controversial firing of head coach Sean McDermott, and a fading championship window for quarterback Josh Allen. It feels like this era of the Bills is fading fast, and nailing this upcoming off season will be crucial to ensuring Allen—and the city of Buffalo as a whole—gets their ring.
Hire The Right Head Coach
While the decision to fire Bills coach Sean McDermott will remain contentious for the entirety of next year, the fact of the matter is that the damage is done and the team needs to move forward. Brandon Beane has been put in charge of finding a new head coach candidate, and the choice he makes will undoubtedly be the most important one made this summer. As of now, options are fairly limited, with potential hires like Rob Saleh getting scooped up by the Tennessee Titans. Right now, the leading favorite is former Bills offensive coordinator and New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was last with Buffalo in 2021. While it’s easy to look back fondly on Daboll’s time in Orchard Park, hiring him to be the new head coach of the Bills would be a disastrous move that sets back the franchise a couple of years. His time with the Giants has proved his immaturity and hot headedness, both of which are qualities that a head coach should never possess. His offensive philosophy is also simply not compatible with this Bills roster, and his air raid attack would not fit Buffalo’s run heavy personnel. The lack of a solid receiving core will make Daboll’s deep passes ineffective, and his refusal to run the football will limit James Cook’s productivity.
With the current state of the Bills offense, it’s clear that Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak would be the best fit, and he’s one of the few coaching candidates available right now who’s truly ready to lead a team. Kubiak’s offenses have been characterized by strong run games, play action passing, and 12 personnel formations, all three of which suit the Bills perfectly. Giving Kubiak a mobile quarterback like Josh Allen who excels rolling out and making deep throws would add another layer to the impressive offense he’s shown off in Seattle. Buffalo’s depth at tight end would also service Kubiak use of tight end sets, and it feels like this roster was subconsciously built around Kubiak’s scheme. For defensive minded options, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula present compelling cases; however, their ties to Buffalo haven’t been as strong. Bringing in a defensive-minded coach could fix some of the issues that plagued last year’s Bills team; however, it would likely be better to hire one of those two as a defensive coordinator, with someone like Klint Kubiak at the helm.
Find A New Receiver
For the entirety of this season, the narrative surrounding the Bills’ offense has been the lack of a wide receiver, and it’s an issue that Brandon Beane needs to fix now if the Bills want to win soon. Fortunately, there are a lot of very clear options for Beane, many of which seem quite plausible for Buffalo to pull off. Two massive, blockbuster trades have been at the center of the Bills wide receiver search, those being Philadelphia Eagles wide out A.J. Brown and Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson. Both players have expressed some desire to leave, with A.J. Brown definitively stating that he wants to get traded and Jefferson sharing his frustrations with the Vikings organization and quarterback problems. Of the two, Brown is the far more realistic option, and the general consensus is pointing to the Bills trading with the Eagles to get him. While A.J. Brown is coming off of a down year, his struggles have been linked closer to the incompetence of Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo than any performance issues. While Brown has been the leading favorite for an established receiver, many have also suggested that the Bills trade up in this year’s draft to grab a rookie wide out.
According to fans and analysts, the 2026 wide receiver class isn’t particularly strong. However there are still standouts who could be solid NFL players. One of those is USC wide out Makai Lemon, who recently won the Biletnikoff Award for being the best receiver in college football. Other potential options include Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell and Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt. Drafting Lemon would require Beane to trade up pretty far in the draft, while Brazzell and Sarratt are players likely to be available for the Bills at their position at pick 26. Regardless of where Beane decides to go, changes in the receiver room need to be made and a new weapon for Josh Allen needs to be secured to give the team a shot at a ring.
Make The Necessary Roster Moves
The hardest job of any general manager in every sport is making cuts, and unfortunately Brandon Beane is going to need to make some difficult decisions this offseason. The first big cut that needs to be made will by far be the most brutal: tight end Dawson Knox. Knox has been a staple of the Bills offense ever since he was drafted in 2019—however, 2026 might be the year that the team has to move on. By releasing Knox, the Bills would free up roughly 10 million in cap space, and while he’s been a foundation to this team, his departure wouldn’t present that many problems. Dalton Kincaid has already taken over his role as the number one tight end on the depth chart, and Georgia Tech rookie Jackson Hawes shows a lot of promise. Another big cut that needs to be made is wide receiver Curtis Samuel, whose release would save the Bills another 6 million. Samuel had a disastrous 2026 campaign, and despite Buffalo’s struggles at wide receiver, Samuel will not be missed. This extra cap room should help the Bills in free agency while also ensuring that the team can re-sign some crucial pieces who are set to be free agents. Connor McGovern, Brandin Cooks, and Tre’Davious White are all must keeps, but the rest of the list for players set to leave is harder to make a decision on. Key defensive pieces like Matt Milano and Jordan Poyer have been huge for the Bills. However, Milano’s injury struggles and Poyer’s age may mean moving on is the right call. This is undoubtedly going to be a bizarre offseason for Buffalo, and many beloved Bills will likely be putting on new jerseys next year. All eyes are now on Brandon Beane to make the right decision and salvage a superbowl out of this Bills era’s fading championship window.