On Wednesday, July 29, the Bills will kick off their first training camp under new Head Coach Joe Brady. This will mark the beginning of a new era of football in Buffalo.
As training camp approaches, there are many questions left unanswered about the Bills. How will they respond to yet another devastating playoff loss? Is Joe Brady the guy to get them over the hump? Are their young players ready to break out?
These are all questions that will be answered this season; the team has to play games first.
The one thing that can be assessed early in training, though, is the team’s new offensive and defensive schemes.
LSU or Bills Joe Brady?
When the Bills promoted Joe Brady, they reported he would retain the offensive play-calling duties. While this gives the team some continuity on that side of the ball, there are still changes to be made.
At times, it felt as if Joe Brady was calling Sean McDermott’s game instead of his own. During Brady’s time at LSU, he led one of the best offenses in college football history. What remains to be seen is whether he’ll pivot to a heavier passing attack as he did at LSU, or if he’ll continue the balanced approach he had success with as the Bills’ offensive coordinator.
The real answer won’t be determined until the Bills open play against the Texans in Week 1. However, training camp will help fans get a better grasp of what to expect.
Bills Could Use James Cook More Dynamically
Both styles of offense have proven to be successful for Brady in the past, so the changes won’t be drastic. The big difference between the LSU offense and what the Bills have recently is that the Bills have James Cook.
The Pro Bowl running back adds an element to the offense that not many teams in the NFL can claim. Cook is going to get his usual carries every game this season, but look for him to be more involved in the passing game. Training camp could show the first glance at his new involvement.
Outside of Josh Allen, Cook has become the Bills’ X-Factor. As long as the offensive scheme features a heavy dose of him, it’ll be exciting to watch.
Switch From a 4-3 to a 3-4
The biggest change the Bills made schematically under Joe Brady was bringing in Jim Leonhard. Leonhard gained a lot of attention last season as the Broncos’ defensive pass game coordinator.
In his previous stop as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, he ran a 3-4 defense, which is what the Bills will be transitioning to in 2026.
This style is much different than the nickel defense Bills fans grew accustomed to under Sean McDermott. While Leonhard’s defense is going to feature nickel and dime packages, it’s not going to be the base.
Under McDermott, there were often only two linebackers on the field for most of the game. With Leonhard, the defense is going to have four. The inside linebackers will have similar roles to what they played under McDermott, whereas the outside linebackers will feature more as pass rushers.
This means players like Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, Michael Hoecht, and rookie T.J. Parker will be listed as linebackers. Their main role will be to rush the passer, but in the new scheme, they’ll cover occasionally too.
The change in the defensive scheme is why the Bills had a lot of turnover on the defensive side of the ball. The roster wasn’t built to accommodate a change like this, so they had to do a lot of work in the offseason.
There are going to be some growing pains in training camp and the beginning of the season with the 3-4. If fans are patient, though, the new defense will prove to be better in the long run.
Training camp will give fans a better idea of how the new staff views certain players’ fits in the new scheme. What remains a question mark now is what makes this such an important storyline to pay attention to in training camp.
Training Camp Is Still Important
Some people might view training camp as a one-off thing that they don’t need to pay attention to, but it’s often a great indicator of where a team is at.
In the Bills’ case, this year’s training camp is the most important one they’ve had in a long time. With new schemes going in on both sides of the ball, players moving to different positions, and many young players taking over, a lot is at stake starting July 29.
Real game time is obviously the greatest indicator of what a team wants to do, but don’t discredit the importance of training camp. It’s the perfect time for the Bills’ new regime to hit the ground running.
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