Buffalo Rumblings
While the acquisition of veteran wide receiver DJ Moore garnered the most headlines this offseason, it wasn’t the only addition to the Buffalo Bills’ offense. With former offensive coordinator Joe Brady being promoted to head coach, the Bills needed to find a new offensive coordinator, and they hired Pete Carmichael, who served as the OC for the New Orleans Saints from 2009-23, including working on the same staff as Brady from 2017-18.
In total, the Bills offense now features wideouts Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, and rookie Skyler Bell, to go with the tight end trio of Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and Jackson Hawes, and reigning NFL rushing champion James Cook.
The Bills concluded their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Thursday and have a few days off before returning to the team facilities for mandatory minicamp, June 9-11.
With OTAs in the rearview mirror, today’s edition of Buffalo Rumblinks leads off with thoughts on how Buffalo’s offense could look in the first season with Carmichael as OC, including why the health and productivity of tight end Dalton Kincaid could hold the key to bringing Buffalo’s offense to a new level of productivity.
Pete Carmichael has worked with several talented quarterbacks during his NFL coaching career, including future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as the Saints’ OC and Philip Rivers as the Chargers’ offensive assistant. This offseason, he has been getting to know another talented QB, Josh Allen, describing the get-to-know-you process as fun.
“I just think that he’s got a great personality,” Carmichael said of Allen. “He likes to keep it light, but when it’s time to get serious, he does. … But it’s just … overall, him going out there executing. And obviously his ability.”
While Carmichael is taking the OC reins from Brady, Brady will still call the plays and have the final say on how Buffalo’s offense operates. Carmichael’s role as a veteran offensive-minded coach is to serve as a sounding board for Brady as he navigates being a first-time head coach.
One of the weapons Carmichael is excited to work with is tight end Dalton Kincaid, who, when healthy, has provided a massive boost to Buffalo’s offense. Unfortunately for the Bills, Kincaid has also missed nine games due to injury over the past two seasons and has been less than 100 percent in many other contests.
Kincaid said this is “probably the best I’ve felt in my career at this point in the year.” A fully healthy Kincaid could hold the key to unlocking the full potential of Buffalo’s offense.
“When he’s on the field, you’re looking for ways to get the ball in his hands,” Carmichael said of Kincaid, entering his fourth season in the NFL. “He brings a lot of value to this team, and he’s a guy we have the opportunity to make sure he’s a big part of what we’re doing.”
As Carmichael continues to install his offensive philosophies, we discuss...
