Josh Allen is entering a massive year under a new Buffalo Bills regime – but an NFL insider believes there is already ‘frustration’ bubbling beneath the surface.
Allen and the Bills have been among the top teams in the league in recent years but have been unable to get over the line and reach the Super Bowl.
They suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs, a result that ultimately cost head coach Sean McDermott his job.
It now means former offensive coordinator and close ally of Allen, Joe Brady, has stepped into the hot seat for the new season as the Bills move to a $2.2billion new stadium that has already left some fans furious.
But while they are again counted among the favorites in the AFC East, The Athletic reporter Mike Sando has raised concerns that the promotion of Brady could exacerbate existing frustrations of some of Allen’s power behind the scenes.
He pointed to Allen being given the power to call his own pass protections as an example of where some members of the Bills coaching staff have felt ‘frustration’ at times, as he expressed fears the new dynamic of Brady replacing McDermott might not necessarily be the answer to take the next step.
Josh Allen has a new head coach in Buffalo after Joe Brady was promoted
Allen and the Bills have high expectations entering a new season in a new stadium
Brady was Allen’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons
‘I mean I think he can but I don’t think that I feel so good about it that I’m necessarily going to bet on it happening. I think there’s a wider range of outcomes,’ Sando said on Sirius XM when asked if he expects Allen to unlock a new level this season.
‘Look, they’re going to be good. Josh Allen’s going to make them good. But within that, the greatness, or is it too much of a good thing when your playcaller goes from kind of being your confidante, and maybe a little more of a friend than the head coach can be, to now going into that head coaching job.
‘I think that is an interesting transition to make, when clearly before with Sean McDermott, he was in charge, also a defensive pedigree. I’m sure he went along with a lot of stuff Josh Allen wanted to do, but there was a little bit more of a check and balance there, I think.
‘And so now, what does it mean? Is Josh Allen more empowered? I’ve heard whispers and people complaining a little bit in the league about the fact Josh Allen gets to do the pass protections how he wants them.
‘I think that’s been a little bit of a source of frustration on the staff, at times, in the past. Is that a good or a bad thing, if that’s enabled more?
‘Those would be the concerns. Not so much Josh Allen, I think we know he’s going to be a star. Just as you try to get over the top, are these fine tune changes good? Maybe not quite as good.’
Buffalo finished second in the AFC East last season, failing to win the division for the first time since 2019 after the shock resurgence of the New England Patriots.
The Joe Brady era begins on the road against the Houston Texans on September 13, before a first home game at the new Highmark Stadium on September 17, the first Thursday Night Football game of the season.
