Brian Daboll is a finalist for the Cleveland Browns head coaching position.
By Kyle Silagyi / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills may soon commence an unexpected search for a new offensive coordinator.
Current Bills’ offensive play-caller Brian Daboll is reportedly one of three finalists for the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching vacancy, impressing Cleveland brass with a “strong interview,” per ESPN.
Though Buffalo’s offense largely struggled under Daboll’s watch, his departure would leave a glaring hole on the team’s coaching staff. Quarterback Josh Allen impressed under Daboll’s tutelage, evolving from a project into a serviceable NFL starter with an incredibly high ceiling.
Replacing Daboll would be no easy task for the Bills.
Here are seven candidates they should look at, should the Browns ultimately poach Daboll:
Chad Hall
Though unknown to a large portion of the Buffalo faithful, Chad Hall would perhaps be a front-runner for the team’s potential vacancy at offensive coordinator.
A former NFL wide receiver, Hall has been part of head coach Sean McDermott’s coaching staff since his arrival at One Bills Drive in 2017. Hall initially joined the staff as an offensive assistant, primarily aiding in the wide receivers room.
He retained that title in 2018 before being promoted to wide receivers coach in 2019, helping the Bills’ receiving corps construct an overall productive year in which John Brown caught a career-high 72 passes for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns.
With just three years of NFL coaching under his belt, Hall is still relatively inexperienced. He’s yet to call a play in the NFL, and at just 33 years of age, he’d be the league’s third-youngest offensive coordinator.
Yet, there’s something to be said for continuity. He’s well-liked within Buffalo’s front office, this made evident by his promotion to wide receivers coach last offseason. He’s also been around throughout McDermott’s entire stint as Bills’ head coach, already understanding his demands and offensive preferences.
Though the leap to offensive coordinator after just one year as a position coach could be steep, it’s one that Buffalo may be confident that Hall could handle.
Ken Dorsey
Given the improvement that Josh Allen made as a passer in the 2019 season, the Bills may elect to limit their hypothetical offensive coordinator search to in-house candidates in an attempt to maintain continuity.
If this is the case, expect Ken Dorsey to receive consideration.
The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist replaced David Culley as Buffalo’s quarterback coach in 2019, helping Allen improve in just about every statistical category in his sophomore season.
Looking past statistics, Allen’s on-field decision-making vastly improved in the 2019 season, something that can perhaps be attributed to Dorsey’s tutelage.
Dorsey has a proven track record when it comes to helping quarterbacks, as he helped lead Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to an MVP award in 2015.
Though Dorsey’s history with quarterbacks is impressive, his prowess as an offensive play-caller is unknown. He has only served as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL, never having the opportunity to call plays.
Despite Dorsey’s inexperience as a play-caller, Allen’s progress under his watch would almost automatically make him a candidate for the Bills’ offensive coordinator job.
Mike Shula
If Buffalo decides to play it safe with Daboll’s potential replacement, Mike Shula may very well be the one to take the reins of the team’s offense.
A 32-year veteran, Shula has coached for six professional teams throughout his lengthy coaching career. He most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, with his future in the Big Apple currently cloudy due to the firing of former head coach Pat Shurmur.
Shula does have connections to the Bills’ coaching staff, as he was on the Carolina Panthers’ staff in some capacity throughout McDermott’s entire stint as Panthers’ defensive coordinator. He was Carolina’s offensive coordinator when the team won the NFC Championship in 2015.
He also has recent experience working with a young quarterback, as Daniel Jones showed promise as a rookie under Shula’s tutelage in 2019.
Though a realistic option, Shula’s hypothetical hiring would be a bit underwhelming. The Giants finished in the bottom half of the league in total offense in each of Shula’s two years as offensive coordinator. Since 2013, Shula’s units have finished in the top half of the league in total offense on just two occasions.
While there is familiarity between Shula and Buffalo’s coaching staff, his hiring would come off as a low-risk, low-reward move that would likely see the Bills deploy middling offenses for the foreseeable future.
Mike McCoy
As McDermott was constructing his initial staff in Buffalo, Mike McCoy was the one who got away.
McDermott pursued the then-recently fired San Diego Chargers coach upon taking the Bills’ job in 2017, but McCoy elected against joining his staff. He instead opted to stay out west, filling the Denver Broncos’ vacancy at offensive coordinator.
He was fired midway through the 2017 campaign, an unfortunate streak that carried over into the 2018 season. After joining the Arizona Cardinals’ staff in the 2018 offseason, the team fired McCoy after a 1-6 start.
McCoy has been removed from the game of football since his departure from Arizona. If he’s looking to make a return, McDermott may once again be interested in his services.
Like Shula, however, McCoy would perhaps be an underwhelming hire. Though he was once looked at as a bright offensive mind, the fact that he’s been unceremoniously dumped from his past two jobs is a bit concerning.
He’s also been removed from the NFL for over one year, something that could give the Bills should they need a new offensive coordinator.
Though there are causes for concern when it comes to McCoy, he wouldn’t be a necessarily bad hire. His offensive units finished in the top half of the league in three out of his four years as head coach in San Diego, finishing in the top-10 twice and the top-five once.
McDermott once viewed McCoy as his ideal offensive coordinator. Should a hole at offensive coordinator open up, perhaps he’ll be able to convince McCoy to join his staff.
Press Taylor
As we now enter the ranks of more outside the box candidates, Press Taylor is a name to keep in mind.
The 31-year-old has been on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff since 2013, taking over as the team’s quarterback coach in 2018. Carson Wentz established himself as one of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks under Taylor’s tutelage, constructing a career-year in 2019 with 4,039 passing yards.
This can be primarily attributed to the fact that Wentz stayed healthy throughout the entirety of the regular season, but it’s also important to remember that the 27-year-old played with a depleted receiving corps throughout a portion of the campaign. Solid coaching contributed to Wentz’ bounce back 2019 season.
With a name that’s gaining steam around the NFL, Taylor has been considered for Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator vacancy. He could at least receive an interview for Buffalo’s potential vacancy, as well, given the progress that Wentz made under his watch.
Given his arm strength and athleticism, Josh Allen has often be compared to Wentz throughout his professional career. Giving him a coach that helped Wentz return to form certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Mike Kafka
Though the former lacks the polish and overall skill of the latter, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are similar quarterbacks.
Yes, putting a quote-unquote project quarterback in the same sentence as a former NFL MVP may seem a bit ludicrous, but it’s really not. Both Allen and Mahomes are incredibly talented; tall, athletic signal-callers who could throw the ball the entire length of the football field if they really wanted to.
Though they’re not in the same proverbial league, the two have similarities.
Thus, providing Allen with a coach who has gotten the most out of Mahomes throughout the past two seasons may be something the Bills elect to do should they embark on a search for a new offensive coordinator.
This is where Mike Kafka comes in.
A former NFL quarterback, Kafka has served as the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback coach since 2018, the year in which Mahomes won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award. Mahomes established himself as an unstoppable force under Kafka’s tutelage, helping the Chiefs win back-to-back AFC West titles.
Kafka could potentially have the same impact on Allen should Buffalo eventually bring him on as offensive coordinator. He’s in the same tier of candidates as Taylor, an unproven offensive play-caller whose track record with quarterbacks is undeniable.
A former quarterback who knows how to deal with a passer of Allen’s size and athleticism, Kafka could perhaps build an incredibly intriguing offense around the 23-year-old.
Wes Welker
Brian Daboll’s resumé was perhaps his most intriguing attribute when the Bills hired him in the 2018 offseason.
He had previously served on the coaching staffs of Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, winning world championships with both of them.
To Buffalo, Daboll brought an almost Belichick-ian attitude, a quiet approach that valued scheme and evolution.
In potentially replacing Daboll, the Bills may look for continuity, but not in terms of scheme or x’s-and-o’s. This continuity could come in the form of tone, with Buffalo looking at candidates whose offensive philosophy matches that of the New England-trained Daboll.
Who better to look at than a wide receiver who constructed five Pro-Bowl seasons with the Patriots?
Though his name may not even be brought up in discussions, Wes Welker would be an incredibly interesting candidate for Buffalo’s potential vacancy at offensive coordinator.
The 38-year-old has gained some coaching experience over the past three years, working as an offensive assistant on the Houston Texans’ staff from 2017-2018 before becoming the San Francisco 49ers’ wide receivers coach in 2019.
Though relatively new to the world of coaching, Welker would be a solid choice for the Bills should they pursue a candidate who could build upon the tone set by Daboll.
Under Daboll, Buffalo constructed a New England-esque offense, a unit that looked to move the ball at a methodical pace while exploiting mismatches. These are habits that Daboll picked up from Belichick, stating that there wasn’t “much that [he hadn’t] taken from” the six-time Super Bowl champion in October 2018.
It’s safe to assume that Welker picked up some of the same habits throughout his six years in Foxborough. His view on offensive philosophy and tone is likely similar to that of Belichick, and in turn, similar to that of Daboll.
By hiring Welker as their offensive coordinator, the Bills would potentially bring a new set of eyes and some ingenuity to their offense while also building upon the unit’s already-present core ideas.