Bills' Sean McDermott slots in among league's best in NFL head coach rankings

CBS Sports has identified Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott as one of the top-10 sideline bosses in the NFL.

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Though questions regarding his long-term feasibility as head coach of the Buffalo Bills loom, Sean McDermott is, by every metric, one of the best sideline bosses in the modern NFL.

He’s transformed a perennial bottom-dweller into a legitimate contender, inheriting a team in the midst of a 17-year postseason drought in 2017 and leading them to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons in charge. He’s already the second-winningest coach in franchise history (73 wins), his .640 winning percentage placing him atop Buffalo’s record book in the statistic.

The Bills have constructed double-digit win totals on five occasions under McDermott, claiming the AFC East title in four of those campaigns. There are justifiable concerns about the coach’s decision-making in big moments and ability to get the team over the proverbial hump, but in terms of constructing a culture and annually successful football team, few in Buffalo history have been more successful than McDermott.

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This sentiment has been echoed in CBS Sports’ recent NFL head coach ranking. Writer Cody Benjamin slots McDermott in at No. 9 (in his first tier of coaches), praising his success while also questioning whether or not he is the Bills’ long-term answer on the sideline.

“There are strong shades of early career Andy Reid in McDermott, a literal Reid disciple: Pressure is mounting for him to finally take an elite quarterback and annual contender to the promised land, and yet his track record as [a] calming voice is hard to deny, with six playoff bids in seven years on the job,” Benjamin wrote. “Whether Josh Allen can elevate a remade offensive supporting cast could go a long way in determining his future.”

Bills head coach Sean McDermott celebrates a turnover on downs by the defense after an interception put the Falcons in good field position. / Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

The comparison to Reid—whose coaching tree boasts McDermott among several other notable coaches—is rather apt, as the now legendary coach struggled to ‘get over the hump’ in his first head coaching stint. He served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999–2012, leading the team to the playoffs on nine occasions and to the NFC Championship five times. He won only one of those Championship games, losing in that year’s Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

The Eagles moved on from Reid after the 2012 season, hiring Chip Kelly from the college ranks as his successor. Reid was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were coming off a 2-14 campaign; the move paid off for both franchises, as both teams have since won at least one Super Bowl (with Kansas City winning several).

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McDermott hasn’t reached the same highs that Reid achieved in Philadelphia, but the general sentiment remains—in order for Buffalo to take the next step as a franchise, does it need to introduce a new lead voice into the locker room? It’s a fair question to pose considering McDermott’s inability, thus far, to pull out big games; with Josh Allen still firmly in his prime but pushing 30 years of age, at what point does running it back and crossing your fingers that things will be different this time become irresponsible? 

That point, if it will ever come, seemingly isn’t now, as the Bills seem confident in McDermott at this juncture. He’s one of the best in the NFL at producing consistent regular season success, and Buffalo’s offseason roster restructure—predicated on a concerted effort to get younger—seems to suggest confidence in McDermott’s ability to develop talent. It also suggests that he has a somewhat lengthy ‘leash;’ the Bills’ roster, on paper, is not as strong as it’s been in recent years, and while the team will still be competitive, they may not be the worldbeater that they’ve been (at times) in past seasons. McDermott may get somewhat of a pass if Buffalo makes an early playoff exit again this season, as making the playoffs with a hodgepodge passing attack and retooled defense objectively wouldn’t be a bad result.

McDermott’s long-term security in Western New York aside, he’s still one of the NFL’s best coaches. Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, John Harbaugh, Matt LaFleur, Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh, and Dan Campbell rank above him on Benjamin’s list.

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