For the past four years, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have been building the organization from the bottom up.
Earlier this week, Beane was rewarded for his work as Pro Football Talk named him as their Executive of the Year after the former Carolina Panthers assistant general manager put together one of the best rosters in the league this season and continues to do so.
He put his stamp on the organization when he drafted Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft. Then, this past summer, Beane pulled off one of the biggest trades in franchise history when he acquired Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 fifth-round pick, a 2020 sixth-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
The Vikings turned that first-round pick in former LSU receiver Justin Jefferson who finished the season with the fourth-most receiving yards (1,400) in the NFL and he also caught 88 passes and recorded seven touchdowns.
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Building the Bills From the Bottom Up
Beane wasn’t around when McDermott took over as the head coach in the offseason before the 2017 NFL Draft and he was hired shortly after when Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula let former general manager Doug Whaley go.
So, 2018 was Beane’s first real opportunity to build the Bills through the draft. He hit big when he decided to trade Buffalo’s 12th overall pick and their two second-round picks that year to move up five spots to No. 7 and draft Allen. The rest has been history as he’s become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season.
The Bills have also taken their lumps along the way as they had to build the roster from the bottom up. Defensive end Jerry Hughes is the only player remaining on the roster from before Beane and McDermott took over and they had to create a completely new roster while also clearing out cap space.
In 2017, they broke Buffalo’s 17-year playoff drought but declined the following year as Allen got his bearings in the league. From there, Beane and McDermott have surrounded their young quarterback with talent, built up the guys in front of him, and sprinkled playmakers all over the defense.
Beane’s work, along with the overall development of several of those key draft picks like Tremaine Edmunds, Tre’Davious White, Dion Dawkins, Matt Milano, and others helped the Bills earn their first AFC East title since 1995 this season and they aren’t done yet.
Beane Continues to Build His Roster Up
While the Bills are on their way to their third playoff appearance in four years, Beane is continuing to build his roster up and surround Allen with the best players possible.
Just this past week Beane added former Dolphins and Texans receiver Kenny Stills and Tanner Gentry, who was a teammate of Josh Allen’s at Wyoming, to their practice squad in hopes of having even more depth in their wide receiver room for the playoffs.
The process continues to build in Buffalo and Beane has been a major part of the team’s success over the past four years.
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Brandon Beane Earns Top Honors From Pro Football Talk