Bills GM Brandon Beane: I’m open to Sean McDermott still calling plays

National Football League

Updated Jan. 31, 2024 8:22 p.m. ET

Earlier this week, the Buffalo Bills promoted linebackers coach Bobby Babich to defensive coordinator, a position which was de facto held by head coach Sean McDermott this season.

Will the head coach continue to call plays now that the Bills have an assigned defensive coordinator? General manager Brandon Beane is open to that idea.

“If [McDermott] feels he needs to put someone else to call the plays, we would do that,” Beane told ESPN. “If he is like, ‘Man, yes, I can do this. I want to do it again,’ then we would go that because … there was nothing that left me saying he couldn’t wear both hats.”

McDermott took over defensive playcalling duties when defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier stepped away from his position after the 2022 season.

Babich has been on McDermott’s coaching staff during the latter’s entire seven-year tenure in Buffalo, serving as assistant defensive backs coach (2017), safeties coach (2018-21) and linebackers coach (2022-23) before the recent promotion to defensive coordinator.

Is the Bills’ Super Bowl window still wide open?

The Bills began the 2023 regular season 6-6 but then ran the table to win the AFC East at 11-6. That said, after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round, Buffalo lost a grueling divisional-round game at home to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24. It marked the third consecutive season that the Bills were eliminated in the divisional round.

Buffalo’s defense surrendered 196.6 passing yards (seventh in NFL), 110.6 rushing yards (15th), 307.2 total yards (ninth) and 18.3 points (fourth) per game in the regular season.

The Bills are a combined 73-41 in the regular season and 5-6 in the postseason under McDermott.

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