When Leslie Frazier stepped down as the team’s defensive coordinator, the Buffalo Bills opted not to make an external hire. Instead, the perennial AFC playoff contenders went down the road less traveled, with head coach Sean McDermott taking on more responsibility than before.
Indeed, McDermott was involved in some capacity with the Bills’ defense before, but it’s very likely that Fraizer, a former head coach himself, had full reign of the reason. Now, McDermott will be calling defensive plays, something he hasn’t done since he was the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers nearly a decade ago.
McDermott said he needs to have a “two-track mind” — one as a head coach and one as a defensive coordinator. He’s also excited to roll up his sleeves and return to the defensive room.
“It’s part of how I got here,” McDermott said of calling plays via the team website. “So I just think you’ll be in the defensive staff room, having those critical conversations that come up solving problems, trying to evolve where we need to evolve, and where the game is going. And then working hand in hand with our players. Again, that’s been mostly the assistants to this point. Then together with the staff figuring some things out and it just feels good. It feels natural. And we’ll see where it goes in the future.”
Whether Frazier ultimately returns to the Bills remains to be seen, but Sean McDermott will undoubtedly have his hands filled with responsibilities for the 2023 NFL season.
