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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Buffalo Bills made a bold bet this offseason, moving on from longtime head coach Sean McDermott and hiring first-time head coach Joe Brady. Brady had been the team's offensive coordinator and has worked closely with Josh Allen over the past few seasons, but it's still a gamble considering he's never been a head coach at any level, let alone in the NFL. Still, his approach to practices is already making an impact on the players.
Monday's training camp session was yet another swampy, rainy day at St. John Fisher University. It marked the team's first practice in full pads, but with the gear quickly becoming drenched in the rain, Brady made the call to have everyone ditch the pads before drills got underway.
"Coming out the first day of pads, and everyone's just adjusting and kind of thinking about all the pads," Brady said. "Today's more of the intentionality of ... we're coming off an off day. Let's wake up with the mentality that we got to put our pads on. Let's get used to it."
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"I’ve just always been a little frustrated when guys are spending time thinking about their pads on the first day, and now we’re gonna put the ball down," Brady added. "It’s like, stop fixing your shoulder pads.'You know that rep didn’t go that way because my chin strap wasn’t where it needed to be,' or so it’s like let’s get our focus on what it needs to be."
It's a subtle decision, but one that clearly resonated with some players — particularly veteran tight end Dawson Knox, who emphasized how much he appreciates Brady trying to see things from the players' perspective.
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Before arriving in Buffalo as the team's quarterback coach in 2022, Brady worked as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator and as LSU's passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach — the same LSU team that featured Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson en route to a national championship.
He's been around winning players throughout his career, knows much of Buffalo's roster already, and understands what makes players like Allen and Knox tick. That understanding is showing up early in camp, and it's a good sign for Bills fans. But it doesn't erase the pressure surrounding Western New York.
The Bills enter 2026 with some of the highest Super Bowl odds in the league. They added notable pieces on both sides of the ball this offseason, including wide receiver DJ Moore and edge rusher Bradley Chubb, but they're largely running it back with the same core group as last year — only now under a 36-year-old first-time head coach.
Time will tell if the move pays off, and Buffalo's schedule isn't especially forgiving. But if Brady can carry this early respect and player-forward mentality through the rest of the season, this could finally be the year the Bills get over the hump.
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