The Buffalo Bills have been one of the more active teams across the NFL to begin the offseason. Typically, when you fire your head coach, that’s what happens, but the Bills have made it clear they mean business after another failed postseason run. After promoting Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach, he’s quickly begun assembling an All-Star coaching staff.
Buffalo’s decision to hire Brady was a bit of a surprise, but he seems to have a vision for how he wants his team to operate, as evidenced by the amount of work he’s done to bring new coaches to town. On Tuesday morning, a report surfaced indicating that Brady will be bringing an old friend, John Egorugwu, back to the Bills in a familiar role.
Bills Hire John Egorugwu to be Inside Linebackers Coach
🏈Giants inside LB coach John Egorugwu is returning to the Bills to do the same job for Buffalo, where he worked from 2018-2020.
🏈Bills also are hiring Oklahoma’s assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai as their cornerbacks coach.
Brady is believed to be one of the top young offensive minds in the NFL, as he has been applauded for his work with Josh Allen since taking over as the Bills’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Before that, he spent time working as the Carolina Panthers‘ offense coordinator, and now, he will get his first shot at leading his own team as a head coach.
Of course, Brady isn’t going to be able to do everything on his own, which is why he has made an effort to add coaches he wants to work with to his staff. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he was able to land his old friend, Pete Carmichael Jr., as his offensive coordinator, and one of the most highly-touted coaches in this cycle, Jim Leonhard, as his defensive coordinator.
Brady isn’t done there when it comes to adding coaches, though. He’s continuing to add solid up-and-coming coaches to his staff, and he was able to bring back Egorugwu, who worked with the Bills before Brady found his way to the team. After spending time with the New York Giants, Egorugwu has reunited with Buffalo, where he will be its inside linebackers coach.
“More help in Buffalo: Giants inside LB coach John Egorugwu is returning to the Bills to do the same job for Buffalo, where he worked from 2018-2020,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X. “Bills also are hiring Oklahoma’s assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai as their cornerbacks coach.”
Bills Proving They Mean Business Early on This Offseason
GettyBuffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady
A strong foundation for an NFL team starts with its coaching staff. The Bills felt that, after years of coming up short in the postseason, Sean McDermott simply was not the guy who was going to be able to lead the team to the promised land. That’s why Brady was tabbed as his replacement, and he’s making an effort to ensure that the coaching staff will be able to do its job in 2026 and beyond.
With Brady putting the finishing touches on his staff, the attention is going to have to turn to the team’s roster. Simply put, Allen needs some more help, and it’s going to be up to the front office to provide an influx of talent for him to work with moving forward. Brady has done a great job of checking off the first big item on his offseason to-do list, but the work is only just getting started for Buffalo.
Bills Reunite with Inside Linebackers Coach After Stint with Giants