Sean McDermott showed up at the Chicago Bears-Tennessee Titans joint practices in Nashville as a guest of Ben Johnson, and that alone was enough to spark a new round of speculation. The visit does not mean anything has been finalized, but it does put McDermott in the middle of a conversation about whether Chicago could add a familiar defensive voice to its staff.
Why McDermott's presence matters
The interest is obvious because McDermott is not just another assistant circulating around camp. He spent nine years in Buffalo from 2016 to 2024, and his reputation in that stretch was tied closely to what the Bills built on defense. The source framing around his Buffalo exit notes that his firing damaged how some people viewed him, but the underlying defensive record is still part of the story.
In his first season in Buffalo in 2016, the Bills' defense finished below 17th in yards allowed. After that, the unit settled in as one of the more consistent groups in the league. The Bills were strong on defense across much of McDermott's tenure, finishing with six of nine seasons among the better defensive groups, including four of those years in the top 17 in yards allowed.
What Buffalo accomplished during his tenure
The bigger team success came later. From 2020 to 2024, the Bills won the division for five straight years, and McDermott was at the center of that run. Buffalo went 106-58 over his nine seasons, which is the kind of overall record that helps explain why his name still carries weight around the NFL even after the Buffalo ending.
That is why his appearance with the Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans in Nashville is drawing attention. It is not being presented as a confirmed hiring or a formal move. Instead, the speculation comes from the simple fact that McDermott was there, around Ben Johnson, and in a setting where coaches and staff can naturally cross paths.
What comes next
For now, McDermott's presence at the joint practices is exactly that: a presence. But in the NFL, those kinds of appearances can quickly turn into rumors when a coach with his background shows up around another team. Whether the Bears make anything of it remains to be seen, but the visit has already made McDermott part of Chicago's defensive conversation.
