Bills

The Bills promoted Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach this offseason. Buffalo GM Brandon Beane said they approached the interview process with Brady as if he were an assistant coach for the Packers, and they never met before. 

“Joe was here, and Brian Daboll was here. I knew a couple of the people before,” Beane said, via Albert Breer of SI. “It was like, Everyone, walk into this room with the people we have in there that were part of the interview committee, as if we’ve never met you. Tell us how you grew up? What’s your family life like? How’d you get to whatever college? How did you start your career? We did every one of those like that. And I say that because I thought that was the fairest way. It’s like you want this trial to be in another place because you want the jury’s head to be clear. You don’t want anything preconceived; you try to do the best you can. And I think that’s Joe’s mindset. It’s like, Hey, we’re gonna have new signage. This is gonna be like I just went to a new team, like I just came from the Green Bay Packers. It’s not just passing the baton from Sean McDermott to him. It’s like, Hey, I’m the new coach. This is how we’re going to do things.”

Brady was initially promoted to interim-offensive coordinator in 2023 after being their quarterbacks coach earlier in the season. Beane reflected on the decision, saying he was impressed by how Brady managed multiple positions when taking on the role and thinks that experience translates well to the head coaching job. 

“For the quarterback coach, coaching three guys, to go coach the whole 20-something guys within the whole offense, in the middle of the season, that’s not easy,” Beane said. “So now you go from being buddies with Ed Oliver, to you’re in charge of Ed Oliver, Greg [Rousseau], the guys on defense. And the cool thing about Josh [Allen] is that Josh and Joe have a relationship all the way back to being just quarterback coach, offensive coordinator, but Josh respects the seat that Joe’s in. He doesn’t try to take advantage. And I think the offensive guys will do that as well, knowing he’s over the whole team. And so we’ve at least seen him do that. He understands what comes with that.”

Patriots

Patriots HC Mike Vrabel admitted that the team won’t find a number-one receiver in free agency and said they’ll turn to the draft to fill that need.

“Well, yeah, I mean, they’re not going to be there in free agency. But you have to try to draft them,” Vrabel said, via Mass Live. “I think that’s where a lot of them are. You develop them. Some of them develop and guys, the transition in that position from year one to year two, can be pretty special.”

Vrabel pointed out WR Kyle Williams as someone he’s excited to see take a step forward in his second year in the NFL.

“Made some fantastic plays. Ability to adjust down the field on the deep ball. Has got really good release skills,” Vrabel said. “He saw what the crossing route was against Tampa Bay and the ability to create an ‘X’ play that was maybe a 10- or 12-yard pass. I’m not going to sit there and say ‘these guys are going to be a No. 1 receiver or edge rusher.’ We’re just excited that he’s with us, what he showed us. His attitude was fantastic. We’ll have to help him reach his potential.”

Patriots

Patriots HC Mike Vrabel commented on the future of WR Stefon Diggs in New England and on his current legal situation. The team let the veteran go on Wednesday after his lone season with the franchise ended with a Super Bowl loss.

“Well, I mean, not only his future, but what he was able to do for us and come in and provide leadership,” Vrabel said, via Pro Football Talk. “He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week. So, as we look to evaluate the football team, we’re doing that constantly, Eliot [Wolf], myself, Ryan [Cowden], Stretch [John Streicher] and Eliot’s staff. Just being a little bit behind of where we were with just how long the season went, where those conversations for each and every player are happening in the meetings in between the ones we have the draft players here. So, there’s a lot of things that we’ll do between now and the time that the football season starts. So, that’s going to be the same with, I would say, most every player on our roster.”

“We’re going to let the legal process run its course, just like we’ve said before,” Vrabel added. “Those players, whether that’s Stefon or anybody else that has something, have done exactly what they’re supposed to do, been where they’re supposed to be, communicated with the court when they’re supposed to communicate with them. So, we’re going to let all that take care of itself, and then we’ll have to see what the judgments are in those particular cases.”