Many Buffalo Bills players don’t seem to like the firing of Sean McDermott. But some believe it’s time had come. However, the Bills are headed for the NFL cliff by handing more power to Brandon Beane.
The Bills kept Beane in his general manager role but also promoted him to the president of football operations. That basically means he will move unchecked through the organization. That is, except for the owner, Terry Pegula. The problem is, Pegula apparently thinks Beane is a genius.
But does Beane deserve such a coronation? How much is he to blame for the Bills’ postseason disappointments? Should he have been ushered out of Buffalo along with McDermott?
Bills GM Brandon Beane is an excuse-maker
Let’s be clear about this. Making draft picks in the NFL is tough business. It’s hard to project players. Even with enormous talent, some of them don’t come with NFL motors and desire. And that doesn’t become evident until it’s too late.
And some of the players coming out of college exceed what every NFL scout says about them. The current perfect picture of this is Puka Nacua. A fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, Nacua has 313 catches for 4,191 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons. He’s already a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
Understandably, NFL general managers miss on some guys. But how many of them whine about where they pick? Beane could have selected Nacua four times. Instead, he opted for Dalton Kincaid, O’Cyrus Torrence, Dorian Williams, and Justin Shorter.
Wait. Justin Shorter? He’s a wide receiver, right? Yes. And Nacua was on the board when Brandon Beane picked Shorter, right? And this was the fifth round? Shorter didn't play a single snap for the Bills. He's with the Raiders now.
But let's go back to 2023. What did Beane offer as defense of his drafting ability after that season? Beane bemoaned an advantage for the Bengals because of the contracts of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, both being on rookie deals, according to buffalobills.com.
“They right now are on the advantage of a rookie quarterback contract,” Beane said of Cincinnati. “And they had some lean years, and without getting too much into their build. I don't want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja'Marr Chase. I would love to have him, but you got to go through some lean years to do that. They were able to get Burrow at one, and I don't remember where Chase was drafted, but it was pretty high.”
Just to solve that complex riddle for Beane, Chase was drafted No. 5 overall in 2021. But his point remained: You can’t find studs unless you draft high.
And Beane pretty much doubled down on the boo-hoo-we're-too-good-to-draft-good-players nonsense before the 2025 season, according to Buffalobills.com.
“I don't know many teams that are going to hand you a Chris Jones or a game wrecker,” Beane said. “You look around the league, there's not a lot of players that make 28 to 30 some million dollars a year, which I think is kind of what those high-end defensive players are making.
“We're not ever picking in the top five, 10. … Would I love to add one of those guys? Heck yeah, I would. But we have a cap. We pick where we pick. You kind of got to make the best of what you got. Again, we would love to do that if that player's out there.”
It may sound like we’re being unfair to Beane. After all, Nacua is just one glaring miss. Are there more? Does Beane’s high-draft-pick excuse hold water?
Here is a list of the guys that Beane basically said weren’t available when his team picked. This is not a comprehensive list. It’s just a handful of stud NFL players who got drafted since 2020 — the “Beane Era.”
We used first-round pick No. 28 as a marker. This equates to a Divisional Round loser, something Beane is very familiar with experiencing. Also, we only picked some eye-catching names from the late first round, along with second- and third-round guys. This way, we didn’t hammer Beane with late-round studs that all general managers missed on in the early part of the draft, like Nacua.
How would these guys have looked in a Bills uniform?
- LB Patrick Queen (2-time Pro Bowl)
- WR Tee Higgins
- RB Jonathan Taylor (3)
- WR Nico Collins (2)
- WR George Pickens (1)
- TE Trey McBride (2)
- LB Nik Bonitto (2)
- RB De’Von Achane (1)
- DB Cooper DeJean (1)
Most notable on that list are the wide receivers and McBride. Beane has consistently failed to improve the wide receiver room in the heyday of Josh Allen. The team’s current wide receiver room is terrible, to be blunt. Khalili Shakir as a No. 1? And behind him are guys like Brandin Cooks, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Tyrell Shavers, Gabe Davis, Curtis Samuel, Mecole Hardman Jr., and Stephen Gosnell.
That reads more like a United Football League roster.
Instead of drafting Pickens, Collins, McBride, or Higgins, Beane did the following.
He selected Gregory Rosseau and Boogie Basham instead of Collins in 2021. George Pickens and Trey McBride were available in 2022. But Beane decided Kaiir Elam was more valuable. In 2024, Beane decided Keon Coleman would help the Bills more than a defensive game-changer like Cooper DeJean.
You get the picture. Beane isn’t the guy the Bills need running the show on draft day. So what did they do? They gave him even more authority and power.
These things are enough to point the Bills to the NFL cliff. But, wait, Josh Allen will save them, right?
He might. They should still be in the playoffs or right there as long as Allen is the quarterback. But let’s remember how reckless and inconsistent Allen played against the Broncos this postseason.
Allen will turn 30 in May. He could still have four or five premier seasons left, maybe. His completion percentage was a career-high 69.3 this season.
But the chances of Allen getting the supporting cast he needs to reach the Super Bowl seem pretty slim with Beane constructing the roster.
