Josh Allen broke his right foot in Week 16, played through it in two playoff games, leading the Buffalo Bills to their first playoff road win since 1993. The AFC East powerhouse took down the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wildcard Round. Allen underwent surgery in January after the Bills’ season ended in Denver. Now, four months later, he is back at OTAs, and for the first time, he talked about what the recovery actually looked like.

“A little bit different, a little more centered around the foot, and making sure that I was getting the right PT,” Josh Allen said on the Centered on Buffalo Podcast. “Even when I got back here, just making sure that we’re being smart with it. Certain exercises that I’ve kind of built into it. But I do feel great. But it’s just making sure I’m staying on top of it and not letting it become an issue. But yeah, we’re in a good spot.”

The foot, it turns out, is not the only thing Allen is managing this offseason. The 30-year-old became a father in April, and the adjustment has come with its own physical demands.

“The back gets a little bit tired,” Allen admitted. “Especially when you’re shushing a baby, and you got no back support. You wake up that next day, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, I feel it.'”

He even has a name for it – “Disney back,” a term his brother Kyle Allen passed along for the soreness that comes from constantly carrying a toddler around a theme park.

But on the field, things are clearer. Back at OTAs and fully healthy, Allen has already noticed something different about the Bills under first-year head coach Joe Brady, the man promoted from offensive coordinator after Sean McDermott’s departure.

What changes did Josh Allen observe in HC Joe Brady’s coaching over OTAs?

After failing to qualify for the Big Game last season, the Bills announced a major decision to move away from veteran head coach Sean McDermott. This led to a promotion for Joe Brady, who signed a five-year deal with the team. Although it’s been just a handful of days of work, Josh Allen revealed he has already seen a significant change in the coaching style of his former offensive coordinator.

“He’s been celebrating with the defense when they intercept the ball instead of getting really mad,” Allen said on the Centered on Buffalo Podcast. “He’s giving them our plays in the team meetings. So, you know, I guess you’ve got to pick and choose your battles. So, now I’m just messing.”

This stands out as a clear push from Joe Brady to deeply understand the team’s defense as he shifts to the head coach role after primarily focusing on one side of the ball. And the 36-year-old has managed to build this camaraderie with the defense after being part of a significant number of defensive meetings to learn the intricacies of both sides of the ball.

“Really trying to get a feel of how we do things,” Brady said, according to Niagara Gazette’s Nick Sabato. “… A lot of people are going to be studying probably a lot of the top defenses, and there are elements I’m going to do. And so making sure that we’re doing that next, and then also them using me as a resource.”

Brady has his quarterback healthy and hungry. And Allen has his coach engaged. For a Bills team that keeps falling one game short, that combination may finally be enough. The 2026 season will have the answer.