Getty Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills looks on against the Miami Dolphins during the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills announced a significant change to the coaching staff, with defensive line coach Eric Washington earning a promotion to assistant head coach — a move that some fans found curious.
The team announced the move on June 21, noting that it was the second promotion for Washington in the last two years. He originally joined head coach Sean McDermott’s staff as a defensive line coach in 2020, and before last season took over as senior defensive assistant.
Washington is now second in command to McDermott, though his promotion faced scrutiny as the position he previously coached was seen as an area of weakness for the team.
We’ve promoted Eric Washington to assistant head coach/defensive line. 👏 #BillsMafia
Details: t.co/HNe1kSPzFg
Bills Fans Puzzled at Move
Despite a number of high-profile investments over the last few seasons — including a first-round pick on Greg Rousseau, a second-round pick on Boogie Basham, and a big free-agency move with the acquisition of Von Miller — the Bills have failed to establish a consistent pass rush.
As analyst Warren Sharp noted on Twitter, the Bills had a hot start to last season and had the league’s No. 4 pressure rate, but the performance dropped off significantly after Miller went out with a season-ending injury.
“[T]he Bills pass rush has fallen off substantially since losing Von Miller #4 pressure rate with Von Miller, and that was despite the 4th lowest blitz rate #24 pressure,” Sharp wrote, adding that the Bills had the No. 24 pressure rate after Miller’s injury despite increasing their blitz rate to the 13th-highest.
The Bills also had some misses on draft picks, with Basham coming under fire for his inconsistent performances. Basham had 19 total tackles with two sacks last year while adding an interception and a fumble recovery, and found himself at the back of the team’s defensive line rotation. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia suggested that the Bills could trade Basham this summer.
Some Bills fans questioned why Washington earned a promotion given the inconsistent performance of the position group he led.
“Kind of puzzling considering how bad the line has been…” one fan tweeted.
“Interesting. Is there a unit on this team where this much capital has been invested that has underachieved more than DL? Yeesh,” another fan tweeted.
Big Changes to Sean McDermott’s Staff
The Bills have already made some other major changes to their coaching staff, especially on the defensive side. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier decided to take a break from football in 2023, with McDermott taking over the play-calling duties.
McDermott shared enthusiasm for his new role, saying he was excited to once again work with players on a one-on-one basis.
“I love it, honestly,” McDermott said in a May 24 appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “It feels good to be back with the guys. As a head coach, we coach but we don’t coach. A lot of the time is spent on things outside of coaching. It feels really good to be back in the weeds.”
McDermott added that he feels he can make a major difference in his new, hands-on role.
“To me, the head coach’s seat is a leadership seat and that’s all good, and I love that part of it. But what you miss the most is rolling up your sleeves, getting in with the players side-by-side and coaching and getting in that defensive room, in this case for me and really getting down to the details,” McDermott said. “So I missed that, and it feels good to be back doing that again.”