Bills turn to familiar candidates as head-coach search begins

Buffalo’s coaching search has opened with three figures who know the organization well emerging in the early frame following the dismissal of Sean McDermott, a move that reset the franchise’s leadership after multiple playoff runs fell short of a Super Bowl appearance.

The club has scheduled an interview with Commanders running backs coach/run game coordinator Anthony Lynn for Saturday. The team is also expected to interview its offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and there is interest in interviewing former Giants head coach Brian Daboll as well. All three have worked closely with quarterback Josh Allen at different points in his career or with the organizational structure built around him.

Where the search stands

• Anthony Lynn: interview set for Saturday, giving Buffalo an early look at a candidate with prior head-coaching experience.
• Joe Brady: expected to receive an interview as the in-house option currently directing the offense.
• Brian Daboll: the club wants to interview the former Buffalo offensive coordinator, who helped guide Allen’s rise to Pro Bowl status.

Familiar resumes, different pathways

Lynn previously served on Buffalo’s staff under Rex Ryan and was elevated to interim offensive coordinator after Ryan’s late-2016 exit. He became the Chargers’ head coach the following season, posting a 33-31 record across four years and a 1-1 mark in his lone postseason appearance. Since then, he has worked in multiple coordinator and assistant roles, reinforcing his reputation as a run-game strategist and locker-room stabilizer.

Brady is the current offensive coordinator in Buffalo and has interviewed for several head-coaching openings around the league. Elevated from interim to full-time coordinator after joining the staff midseason, he has been central to recalibrating the passing game while maintaining the organization’s investment in Allen as a dual-threat cornerstone.

Daboll coordinated Buffalo’s offense from 2018-2021 before taking a head-coaching job in New York, where he earned recognition for his initial turnaround of the Giants. He is currently in consideration for offensive coordinator opportunities, and a return to Buffalo would reunite him with a front office and core offensive personnel that previously flourished in his system.

What each candidate could signal for Buffalo

Opting for an in-house interview with Brady points to the value of continuity: retaining terminology, personnel fits and play-calling rhythms that minimize disruption to a roster built for a specific offensive approach. It would also signal ownership’s confidence in the current offensive direction and keep the door open for incremental tweaks rather than wholesale change, especially important as the club manages the salary cap and a veteran-heavy core.

Re-engaging with Daboll would represent a return to an offensive framework that previously underpinned Buffalo’s identity, potentially restoring concepts and sequencing that many players know well. That kind of familiarity can shorten installation time, accelerate offseason development and offer ownership a proven template for maximizing Allen’s strengths, from deep-shot aggression to red-zone efficiency.

Lynn’s profile as a former head coach with run-game oversight suggests an alternative emphasis-balancing physicality and situational efficiency-while bringing CEO experience that can shape staff structure, game management and complementary football. His candidacy would indicate a willingness by ownership to tilt the team toward a more balanced identity on offense while seeking steadiness in late-game decision-making and overall program culture.

Timelines and competitive stakes

Head-coach hires in the National Football League typically move from initial interviews to follow-ups, with staff assembly proceeding quickly ahead of key offseason checkpoints governed by the league calendar, including scouting, free agency and draft preparation. Those timelines are framed by the league’s constitution and bylaws and by formal policies-such as the Rooney Rule-that regulate how and when clubs may interview and hire candidates.

For a team with postseason ambitions, aligning a head coach and system early can influence everything from coordinator retention to playbook installation and player acquisition strategy under the rules of the annual free-agency and draft processes set out on NFL Operations. Buffalo’s early focus on candidates with organizational ties suggests a premium on minimizing transition costs while preserving flexibility: the search incorporates continuity, a return to a proven template, and an experienced leader with a distinct run-game lens. As interviews proceed, the choice will shape staff hires, scheme direction and, ultimately, how the team competes and governs its football operations in the coming season.