The Bills were on a 17-year playoff drought when they hired Brandon Beane as general manager. In Beane’s nine years in Buffalo, the Bills have made the playoffs eight times. At turning the Bills into consistent playoff contenders, Beane has been a success.
But the Bills still haven’t reached the Super Bowl, which cost head coach Sean McDermott his job after last season, and Beane acknowledges that it’s fair to criticize him for that as well.
Beane told Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com that he’s his own harshest critic on that score, and he’s as obsessed as ever with winning it all.
“Listen, no one’s more angry that we haven’t got it done at myself than me,” Beane said. “And I’ll always be that way. I don’t need outside motivation. I don’t need that. If we go in there right now and we play ping-pong, I’m going to try and whip your ass. And if you beat me, I’m going to try and figure out what you did and how you beat me. And I’m going to tell you to get your ass back over here soon and we’re going to come back at it until I can beat you. And so as long as Terry Pegula and the Pegula family allows me to do this job, that’s what it’s going to be.”
As long as Josh Allen is in his prime, the Bills have the most important piece in place. Beane’s job is to get it done, finally, after coming close so many times without getting it done.
Bills Clips
The Bills signed fullback Ben VanSumeren to a one-year deal on Wednesday, the team announced.
VanSumeren, who turns 26 next week, played only one play in 2025 with the Eagles. He tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during the opening kickoff in Week 1.
VanSumeren, who went undrafted as a linebacker in 2023, appeared in nine games as a rookie and 11 in 2024. He started playing fullback during the 2024 season. He had a season-ending knee injury during practice in late November 2024.
He became a full-time fullback in 2025.
In his career, VanSumeren has played 22 offensive snaps, 50 on defense and 394 on special teams. He has totaled one reception for no yards and 16 tackles in 21 career games.
The Bills continue to be adamant about their belief in wide receiver Keon Coleman’s ability to help the team in 2026.
Coleman became the subject of trade speculation after Bills owner Terry Pegula said the push to draft him in the second round in 2024 came from former head coach Sean McDermott’s staff rather than General Manager Brandon Beane, but Beane has said several times this offseason that the team thinks better days are coming for the wideout. During an appearance on WGR Monday, Beane reiterated that and said the Bills did not entertain trade overtures from other teams this offseason.
“We shut those down,” Beane said. “Our intention is for Keon to be here, so the word was out, so no calls this weekend. We’ve hit the reset button with him and hopefully the fanbase and everyone is behind him. I think his best year is yet to come here in 2026.”
The Bills traded for DJ Moore in March and they drafted Skyler Bell in the sixth round this weekend, but there’s space for Coleman to blossom in the Buffalo offense and it looks like he’ll be getting that chance this fall.
Jermaine Burton is going to get another shot.
According to reporter Jordan Schultz, Burton has accepted an invitation to work out for the Bills at their rookie minicamp.
Burton, a Bengals third-round pick in 2024, was waived in December after a string of issues with his former club. He did not appear in a game in 2025.
He played 14 games with one start for the Bengals in 2024 as a rookie, catching just four passes on 14 targets for 107 yards.
Still just 24 years old, Burton will now get a chance to make an impression on the Bills.
The wait is over for Jermod McCoy.
The Raiders swapped picks with the Bills, trading up to No. 101 to select McCoy with the first pick of the fourth round.
McCoy missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in January of last year. He elected to skip his final year of eligibility to declare for the draft.
His slide was induced by teams who had concerns about the health of his knee.
McCoy was a one-year starter at Tennessee after playing one season at Oregon State. He was a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2024, recording four interceptions.
Buffalo received a 2027 seventh-round pick from Las Vegas to complete the deal.
The Broncos were set to make their first pick of the 2026 draft at No. 62, but the wait will go on a little longer.
Denver traded that pick to the Bills and Buffalo used the selection to add cornerback Davison Igbinosun. They sent the 66th and 182nd picks to Denver in return for the Broncos’ original selection.
Igbinosun is the seventh Ohio State player to be drafted so far this year. The Bills also drafted edge rusher T.J. Parker in the second round.
Ignbinosun started his college time at Ole Miss and spent the last three seasons with the Buckeyes. He was a starter throughout his time in Columbus and helped the team win a national title during the 2024 season.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane didn’t make a pick on the first day of the NFL draft. He traded out of the first round but ended up with two more selections.
The Bills now have nine picks, including No. 35 overall.
They used that choice on Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker, who had 21.5 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss in his three seasons.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is switching the Bills from a 4-3 base to a 3-4, and the team likely will use most of its picks in helping him retool the defense.
The Bills also need help at inside linebacker, nose tackle and outside cornerback.
The Titans went offense at No. 4 in round one. That had to be a hard thing for coach Robert Saleh to do.
He ultimately got a defensive player by trading back into the first round.
The Patriots had traded No. 31 to the Bills, who traded No. 31 to the Titans. Who took Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk.
He’s a guy who could get plenty of one-on-one opportunities, given that defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons continues to be a dominant player.
To get pick No. 31, the Titans gave up pick No. 35, No. 66, and No. 101. They got back pick No. 69 and No. 165.
The Houston Texans are no strangers to trading up in round one. That’s how they got Will Anderson three years ago.
This time around, they didn’t move up as far. In a trade with the Bills, the Texans have moved up from No. 28 to No. 26, selecting Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge.
The Texans need good offensive linemen. In recent years, they’ve been struggling to find the right formula.
To get to No. 26 (plus pick No. 91), the Texans have sent No. 28, 69, and 167 to Buffalo.
If better offensive line play can get more out of quarterback C.J. Stroud, it will have been worth it.
The Bills fired Sean McDermott and replaced him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady has no experience as a head coach and only four seasons as a full-time offensive coordinator.
McDermott, who had eight seasons of experience as a defensive coordinator before the Bills hired him as a first-time head coach in 2017, said going from coordinator to head coach creates a learning curve.
While hoping for the best for Brady, McDermott said there are no guarantees.
“It’s hard for me to know because -- and I would say this about anyone who’s never done the job before, with all due respect to Joe in this case -- it’s a different job,” McDermott told NFL Media. “We can prepare all we want, having gone through it myself. But it’s a different job than any job that leads to that job.
“Joe is a very talented coach. He’s a very talented play-caller. Listen, what I saw in Joe in the four seasons, I think, he was with us, he’s going to do a good job, and I’m looking forward to watching him. I think he knows, and I hope he knows, that I’m always here if he needs anything.”
McDermott hopes to coach again in 2027.
