Bills OC praises ‘selfless’ mindset of WR corps in wake of offseason turnover

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady believes his receiving corps has bought into the offense's 'everyone eats' mindset.

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady calls out during drills on the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford Wednesday, July 24, 2024. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has spoken at length this offseason about the team’s newly implemented ‘everyone eats’ philosophy, a collective mindset that prioritizes offensive cohesion and the production of the larger unit as opposed to the statistics of individual players.

It’s a philosophy that had to be implemented in the wake of significant offseason turnover in the receiving corps; the team allowed complementary weapon Gabriel Davis to depart in free agency before trading perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, leaving 241 targets and roughly 2,000 receiving yards deserted from a season ago. Buffalo neglected to acquire another bonafide primary target in the wake of their departures given its salary cap woes and philosophical shift; instead of funneling the passing game through one or two targets, the team instead hopes to take an egalitarian approach to aerial production, with quarterback Josh Allen dispersing the ball evenly amongst a bevy of versatile targets.

Related: OC Joe Brady loves everything about breakout Bills TE

Third-year wideout Khalil Shakir, free agent signee Curtis Samuel, and second-round draft pick Keon Coleman figure to lead the way in the receiving corps while veterans Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will likely contribute in depth roles. Tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox will also factor prominently into the passing game; there’s no Buffalo pass-catcher as imposing as a player like Stefon Diggs, but there’s enough talent throughout the unit to create consistent production.

The Bills’ receivers have oft-noted the ‘everyone eats’ offensive approach throughout training camp, indicating that they’ve collectively bought into the philosophy. Brady spoke about the team’s adopted mindset ahead of Wednesday's training camp practice, stating that he’s excited to see the team embrace the idea.

Jul 24, 2024; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady during training camp at St. John Fisher University. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

“I’ve been pleased with how the guys are working together in the offense and just understanding the identity of that room,” Brady said. “There are a lot of targets obviously missing from last year, we had a great football player at the wide receiver position. And look, we lost a few other guys in the wide receiver room. You don’t just replace [Diggs], but I’ve loved how the guys have worked, how they’ve kind of taken to this offense, the identity of the offense, and how they’re going to be utilized. It’s been a lot of fun, just their selfless mindset. I’m excited to see that kind of take off.”

Buffalo’s passing attack has finished as a top-10 unit in each of the past four seasons, and with its hodgepodge weapons corps of immensely talented players, the Bills’ offense is a dark horse to do so yet again this year despite its lack of an alpha wideout. Diggs averaged around 160 targets in each of his four seasons at One Bills Drive; it’s difficult to imagine any individual Buffalo wideout receiving that many looks this fall, but given the team’s talent and collectively embraced ‘one for all’ philosophy, the offense should continue humming in the Pro Bowler’s absence.

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