ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The tone changed significantly after the Buffalo Bills’ 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Reading between the lines, there were several warning signs regarding the future of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey during Sean McDermott’s press conference.
Just about 11 hours after McDermott addressed reporters at Highmark Stadium, the Bills made the decision that could define their season. The team fired Dorsey 29 games into his first tenure as a play-caller in the NFL.
In his place, the Bills named quarterbacks coach Joe Brady interim offensive coordinator and are hoping the former Carolina Panthers game manager will save their season from the perils of a 5-5 record and 10th place in the AFC at the halfway point of the season. It’s a move by a desperate team looking for answers in another season in which it should capitalize on a Super Bowl window.
“There’s never a good time to do it,” McDermott said. “I just felt like this was the right time. I always want to try to do the best for the team and I felt that was necessary now.”
For many reasons, it was an untenable situation for Dorsey to continue to be the primary player. The offense has been disjointed and stale since the second half of the 2022 season, in fact. At least last year, they were able to hide behind some significant issues on offense, a lack of talent at receiver, and injuries. With multiple solutions to these problems added in the offseason, all available excuses no longer existed.
The more time passed in 2023, the more predictable the offense became. Dorsey’s tendencies became known and he continued to play the hits of his favorite concepts instead of developing the offense. There was also a constant battle between being pass-heavy and being two-dimensional and setting the line of scrimmage. McDermott always represented a desire to increase the threat of attacking opponents while maintaining a pass-first approach. And even though the offense occasionally improved under Dorsey, it remained an uphill battle. This has led to the widespread inconsistency that McDermott has pointed out repeatedly this year.
“There were times when we moved the ball and scored points, but I think those times have become rare,” he said. “Since that Miami game and actually before, there have been times when I felt like we weren’t moving the ball well enough and scoring points. It’s the whole thing. It is the entire work. It’s not just two games, it’s four games. At this point, the whole season is underway.”
It’s not just the Broncos game. It may have felt like odd timing given the way the game ended, but McDermott’s frustration and increasing impatience with the offense seemed dangerously close to getting Dorsey fired even in victory. That’s why the move ultimately had to be made at this point in the season, as the Bills might not have another chance until they had a winnable home game in hand and still had enough left in the season. But as much as Tuesday’s firing of Dorsey defined the Bills’ 2023 season, it could also be the time it took to ultimately come to a decision.
The Bills could have saved themselves some trouble and loss if they had done this earlier in the year, especially when the idea first came into focus after a tough road loss to the Patriots. However, the circumstances of their schedule may have taken the idea off the table. The Bills only had a short week before winning a game on Thursday night in which the offense showed better signs of life. Although it was a win, it gave Dorsey an extension of 10 days between games. McDermott said it didn’t feel like the right time after the Bengals’ loss, which ultimately led to the Bills arriving on Nov. 14 – the day that will be a catalyst for something, although it’s hard to predict. what the result will look like.
But their first step is to rebuild faith in the offense, which has been tested 80 percent of the time this year. It wasn’t until the Dolphins game in Week 4 and the end of the Raiders win in Week 2 that McDermott felt the offense was close to its limit. The coach pointed to helping the offense regain its confidence and energy, which in turn could lead to more promising results.
“Well, I think schemes are one thing, right, but sometimes they’re peripheral, so you have to look at both, the bigger picture of everything,” McDermott said. “Fundamentals, technique, overall energy of the offense in this case. A certain level, a certain DNA of offense and mindset. I think that’s important, right. Making plays is one thing, but how to make them is another. And the pride in doing things right. It’s never just about one thing, but you have to evaluate the whole package.”
And ultimately, Dorsey’s evaluation remained unsatisfactory in McDermott’s eyes. Now that Dorsey is just a memory in the lore of the 2023 campaign, it’s time to move it forward because some different people’s lives are changing. It starts, especially with Josh Allen, who now no longer has the security blanket of the man he practically hand-picked when former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was hired by the Giants.
Allen has long been a staunch supporter of Dorsey, so this statement probably hurts him a little. Since the quarterback has established himself as one of the league’s best, the Bills have made it a point to make sure Allen is as comfortable and supported as possible in his quarterback room, often surrounding him with players and coaches to whom he has great relationships with. Dorsey was originally one of them as quarterbacks coach.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (right) supported Ken Dorsey replacing Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator in 2022. (Mark Konezny / USA Today)
The relationship was so good for a while that one wondered how Allen would react to a possible firing of Dorsey. Do the Bills need to talk to Allen about this to avoid the risk of him feeling left out of the decision?
“Well, Josh and I talk daily. This decision was made by me and me alone,” McDermott said with authority. “In addition, it is Josh’s responsibility and job to help Coach Brady formulate the game plan, execute the game plan, take care of the football and most importantly run our offense.”
It’s also fair to wonder if Dorsey’s firing will have any further impact on Allen’s relationship with the organization or with McDermott. We certainly won’t know the answer to that until the season is over and we get a feel for it. It’s too fresh for now as the Bills look to bring in a new offensive coordinator before Sunday.
Regardless, Allen needs to play much sharper, livelier football and not the lifeless delivery that has been all too common in the Bills’ offense this year. If it means more quarterback scrambles, designed runs, or anything else to keep the defense guessing, it’s up to Allen to get the job done.
As for Brady, he’s already brought some new ideas to McDermott that will likely excite the head coach. His true identity as a playmaker will come through clearly working for a head coach with a defensive background rather than the offensive background he worked under in Carolina with Matt Rhule. He has to decide where he will be during the games, but that is all for now before he applies for the full-time job in 2024. Step one, of course, is to turn an inconsistent Bills offense back into one of the league’s best units. No pressure.
Will this be the move that saves the Bills’ season and pushes them into the postseason? Given their brutal upcoming schedule and the short amount of time before their Week 11 game against the Jets, the odds are not in their favor. But they may hope they can survive the element of surprise this weekend against the Jets and the following one in Philadelphia before a much-needed week off after that.
But aside from Allen, the person who could influence this Dorsey decision the most is McDermott. Now that both Leslie Frazier on defense and Dorsey on offense are out of the game, all the attention falls squarely on McDermott’s shoulders. There are no further coordinator changes to boost the team, and McDermott certainly won’t fire himself. Recent results have negatively impacted McDermott’s overall standing within the fanbase. Many are frustrated and even questioning whether McDermott should be fired if the Bills miss the postseason.
However, the idea that McDermott wouldn’t be the Bills’ head coach in 2024 seems completely far-fetched from an organizational perspective. McDermott has history on his side, and that history features a head coach who has made the playoffs in five of his six full seasons. He has just signed a long-term contract extension for the planned opening of the new stadium. It would take a dramatic shakeup for him to be in jeopardy after the season, regardless of whether they miss the playoffs. This could be a harbinger of debate a year from now as the focus is solely on him for an entire offseason, which could lead to this being the year before the year of the hot seat. But we are still a long way from that.
Regardless, all that matters now is how the Bills respond to Dorsey’s firing, whether it will end up being too little or too late, or whether this can be the noticeable shift toward a return as a legitimate playoff contender. What they have been in the last six games is simply not good enough. Luckily for them, it’s not too late. It’s close, but you never know what injuries other teams across the NFL will suffer to make these most difficult games more attainable. And even if firing Dorsey doesn’t get them there in the grand scheme of things this year, at least it’s an admission that what happened wasn’t good enough, rather than sticking with the status quo, and perhaps the wake-up call they need preparing for a much more challenging 2024 season.
But make no mistake: If the Bills don’t make it to the postseason given all the talent awaiting them this year, it will be an organizational failure from the front office to the players. You have seven games to find out. The clock is ticking.
(Top photo by Ken Dorsey: Eric Espada / Getty Images)