Joe Brady landed No. 14 in the AFC head coach rankings going into the 2026 season, a low slot for a minter and a clear sign the Buffalo Bills are asking a rookie to steer a major shift. He has gone from offensive coordinator to head coach, and the move puts pressure on a staff that is being rebuilt at the top.
That ranking came after Brady had been interviewing for head coaching jobs in the last two cycles. It also arrived with Jim Leonhard in place as the Buffalo Bills’ first-year NFL defensive coordinator, leaving the team with two major coaching jobs in rookie hands.
Joe Brady and the Bills
The Bills changed head coaches this past offseason, and Brady is now running the team after spending two seasons with Josh Allen since 2022. He had helped produce one of the best overall offenses without a true No. 1 wideout over the last two seasons, which is why the promotion was on the table in the first place.
That path is not the same one the Bills took in 2017, when they moved from Rex Ryan to Sean McDermott. This time, they did not go outside the building for the top job. They promoted from within and handed the offense’s architect the whole operation.
Sayre Bedinger’s ranking
Sayre Bedinger described Brady as a rookie head coach and placed him behind Todd Monken of the Browns and Jeff Hafley of the Dolphins. Brady still landed ahead of those two, but No. 14 is near the bottom of the AFC list and leaves little room for a slow start.
Bedinger’s own framing is blunt: “The Bills are shifting gears in a dramatic way, going with a rookie head coach in Joe Brady, who was previously the team's offensive coordinator. Not only is Brady a first-time head coach, but he'll have a first-year NFL defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard. The Bills are taking a big risk in such a competitive window, but they're hoping the offensive wunderkind can push them over the top.”
Jim Leonhard’s first year
The coaching setup is the complication. Brady is being promoted as a rookie head coach, and the defense is being handed to Leonhard for his first season in that role as well. That leaves the Bills betting on continuity and internal growth at the same moment the AFC gives them no cushion.
For fans, the practical read is simple: this is no longer about whether Brady can keep the offense moving. The 2026 season will show whether the Bills’ decision to stay in-house can hold up under a first-time head coach, a first-year coordinator, and the weight of a ranking that already puts Brady near the bottom of the conference.
