Joe Brady finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year award

Joe Brady has had unpredicted success in his first full season as offensive coordinator in Buffalo.

Joe Brady has been named as a finalist for the Associated Press’s Assistant Coach of the Year award, and rightfully so. The Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator reinvented his team’s offense this year and the result was landing in the top ten offenses in the NFL.

Brady, who had been serving as Josh Allen’s quarterback coach, took over midway through the 2023 season and worked within the playbook that the Bills’ offense already had. He worked with the personnel already assembled – including wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The results were good, Brady’s infusion of energy resulted in a 6-1 end to the regular season and a 1-1 playoff record.

Over the offseason, the Bills lost both Diggs and Davis and replaced them with what looked to be a patchwork attempt at assembling a team. They were picked to land third in their division and be in a down-to-the-wire fight for a wild card spot.

Instead, the Bills offense led the way to a fifth straight division title. Buffalo finished the regular season with the tenth-best offense in the league amassing 359.1 yards per game and 65 total touchdowns. Their passing offense, built around a third-year wide receiver in Khalil Shakir, was ranked ninth overall.

Under Brady’s tutelage, Allen set NFL and team records all season long.

• Became the first player in NFL history with 5 straight 40+ total TD seasons.
• Became the first QB in NFL history with 6+ rushing TDs in 7 consecutive seasons.
• Allen now has the most wins (76), total TDs (262) & total yards (30,595) by any player all-time in their first 7 seasons.
• Became the first QB in NFL history with a passing, rushing & receiving TD in a single game.
• Set a franchise record for total career TDs (262), surpassing Jim Kelly (244).
• Became the first QB in NFL history to record multiple pass TDs, multiple rush TDs, 350+ passing yards & 60+ rushing yards in the same game (including playoffs)
• Became the first player all-time with at least two TD passes & two rushing TDs in consecutive games. Also became the first player all-time with three such games in a season.
• Tied Thurman Thomas (65) for the most rushing TDs in franchise history.

The Bills’ offense also tied an NFL record for the most different receivers (13) to catch a touchdown pass, and running back James Cook, in just his third NFL season, tied O.J. Simpson for most rushing touchdowns in a single season (16). Cook’s sixteen touchdowns were enough to tie for the NFL lead.

Brady is one of five assistant coaches listed as finalists for this year’s honor:

• Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator
• Vic Fangio, Philadelphia Eagles, defensive coordinator
• Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings, defensive coordinator
• Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions, defensive coordinator
• Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions, defensive coordinator

The winner...