Bills HC Sean McDermott makes decision on who will call defensive plays in 2024 season

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has decided who will call the team's defensive plays in the 2024 NFL season.

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It always seemed like a formality, but the formality is now… formalized: Bobby Babich, per The Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran, will call the Buffalo Bills’ defensive plays in the 2024 NFL season

This was always the expected outcome, but head coach Sean McDermott was cautious before unequivocally handing the responsibility over to the first-year coordinator. The team promoted Babich, a long-time position coach who has been with the organization since 2017, to the defensive coordinator post in January to prevent him from being poached by one of several circling teams; despite the new title, McDermott was noncommittal to the idea of Babich calling defensive plays after his promotion, telling reporters in May that he hadn’t yet made a decision on the matter.

He largely kept his opinions guarded throughout the offseason when asked who would call defensive plays, but it always looked as though handing the duty off to Babich was his preference, as he gave the 41-year-old frequent play-calling opportunities throughout training camp and the preseason. McDermott, per O’Halloran, informed Babich that he will be the one calling defensive plays on Wednesday.

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“What I like about Bobby is our experience together and the wisdom he has, both as a secondary coach and a linebacker coach,” McDermott told O’Halloran. “I just feel like he’s a growth-minded individual and coach, and that’s the right approach.

“Calling plays is one of the hardest things in this business because you have 65–70 plays per game, and you need to be right 65–70 times per game, and that’s hard. There are going to be some calls he will want back, but you have to start somewhere.”

Babich has been with the Bills organization since McDermott was hired in 2017, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in his debut year before becoming the safeties coach in 2018. He served as the linebackers coach from 2022–2023, earning a reputation as a detail-oriented coach and strong developer of talent throughout his tenure. This was always the expectation, but it’s now official; Babich will have his first opportunity to call plays in a regular season game on September 8 when Buffalo kicks off its 2024 campaign against the Arizona Cardinals.

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