Getty Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer prepares to take the field against the Los Angeles Chargers.
For the past four years, the Buffalo Bills have been building something special at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park, NY.
When Sean McDermott took over as the head coach in 2017, he brought a mindset that would build up the organization, the roster, and the personnel staff brick-by-brick. He instilled a ‘playoff caliber’ mindset and a ‘trust the process’ motto. Ever since then the Bills have just been waiting for their moment to breakthrough.
General manager Brandon Beane joined McDermott a few months after McDermott took over and surrounded himself with a staff that has built up the roster the Bills currently have. Piece by piece Beane and McDermott have added to the team each year through the draft and offseason acquisitions.
Draft picks like Matt Milano, Dion Dawkins, Tre’Davious White, Tremaine Edmunds, and Josh Allen have turned into franchise cornerstones. Key additions through trades or free agency like Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Mitch Morse, Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown have added to what it takes to win a division title.
Each player bought into ‘the process’ and brought their own individual talent to the table. Saturday’s 48-19, AFC East clinching victory over the Denver Broncos was the culmination of that effort.
“The process definitely works,” Poyer said.
Saturday was a special moment for the Bills and it was something that was a long time coming. After the game, in his post-game victory speech, McDermott gave the game-ball to owner Terry Pegula for giving him his first head coaching job and believing in what he was trying to build.
He also thanked a lot of other people as well, including Beane.
“I want to thank Brandon,” McDermott said during his post-game video conference call. “I wouldn’t want to work next to anybody else. He’s really put together a heck of a roster—not just this year—but as we built this thing through the years.”
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Tre’Davious White Is Thankful
Before Beane joined the party in 2017, McDermott handled the draft with former general manager Doug Whaley and the Bills drafted White with their first pick and it’s paid off.
White has become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and signed a contract in the offseason that, at the time, made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. On Saturday, White was thankful to McDermott for the opportunity to give him that chance.
“When I saw coach McDermott on the field, I told him, ‘I really appreciate you taking a chance on me as your first draft pick in your first head coaching role,'” White said during his post-game video conference call. “It’s special. Me and him have a special bond because in his first coaching job he picked me as the first pick to try to turn this thing around. I take this Buffalo and changing the culture thing to heart because I was the first guy he brought in. He drafted and handpicked me. I don’t take that lightly. I’m going to continue to make him proud and make him right that they picked me.”
Through four seasons, White has picked off 15 passes and has made 236 tackles while garnering his first First-Team All-Pro selection last season.
“It’s Been a Fun Journey”
Defensive End Jerry Hughes has been through the whole rebuild in Buffalo. He’s the longest-tenured Bill on the roster and is the only player on the roster that was on the roster in 2016 and after the game on Saturday, Hughes said the rebuilding process has been fun to watch.
“It’s been a fun journey, just watching how Sean has come over and just impacted this organization, impacted this team,” Hughes said. “I’m excited for him that we were able to deliver this to him just because he’s been speaking about it since he got here. Twenty-five years since we’ve done this so we’re going to enjoy it.”
During his eight-year stint in Buffalo, Hughes has racked up 330 tackles, 51 sacks, and recorded his first career interception earlier this season. He’s also forced fourteen fumbles in his time in Buffalo.
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