Since November 2023, Joe Brady has been calling plays for the Buffalo Bills‘ quarterback Josh Allen. He started as the interim offensive coordinator, then became Allen’s offensive coordinator, and is now all set to call the plays as the Bills’ head coach as the team opens its regular season against the Houston Texans.
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That, however, didn’t seem to be the case in their last preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The head coach seemingly admitted that Allen called the plays throughout the fourth quarter of the matchup. While the head coach later clarified that Allen didn’t call the plays, comments from both Brady and Allen confirmed that the quarterback, in fact, has an interest in calling the plays.
At the same time, it didn’t sit well with former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. According to Lewis, Allen calling the plays may send the wrong message to the rest of the team.
“I can see if Joe Brady had been the head coach going into his fourth season now and said, ‘Hey, we’re not going to play Josh this last game. We’re going to let him get a feel for the quarterbacks. He knows what they’re good at, and we’re going to let him call some plays and allow these quarterbacks to play this last preseason game, and him to give him the plays he feels good about. But not in your first year,'” said Lewis on Inside Football. “And I think that just maybe sends the wrong message to the rest of the football team.”
Allen, of course, being the leader of the offense, didn’t start in the exhibition games. In the preseason finale against the Steelers, Shane Buechele completed 26-of-38 passes for 196 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, as the Bills trailed for most of the game before eventually winning it.
At the same time, however, Allen was spotted on the sideline with a headset and a sheet. Subsequently, Bills reporter Jenna Cottrell reported, “Joe Brady jokes that Josh Allen called the entire 4th quarter,” before adding, “Brady clarified though Allen did not in fact call any plays tonight.”
However, that doesn’t mean the team never discussed Allen taking on play-calling duties. In fact, Allen himself has admitted that he has been looking for opportunities to call plays, and Brady had even promised him one. However, that opportunity has yet to materialize.
Joe Brady, who is going into his first season as the Bills’ head coach, later clarified that he and Allen were communicating throughout the 4th quarter instead, suggesting there were discussions around the offensive line.
“There was a lot going on in that game,” Brady said. “Some of the situations I’d be asking what he’s thinking there. We had a lot of that communication. We had a lot of moving parts offensive line wise, a lot of moving parts with what they’re doing defensively in this game. I was like, ‘you know what Josh? Let me take this.'”
At the same time, the quarterback has already made it clear what kind of play-caller he would like to be.
“I’d like to think I’m a pretty balanced play caller,” said Allen. “But I feel like as a quarterback, you kinda know the plays that are the plays that you wanna get to. I feel like those would come off the call sheet very early. So, (I’d be) explosive play-caller…If I do get a chance to call plays, those are plays that I’d like to call and kind of go through in my head before the play actually happens.”
For now, though, it’s clear that Joe Brady will call the plays heading into his first year as the Bills’ head coach. Since taking over the play-calling duties, Brady has helped orchestrate a successful offense.
Since 2024, Buffalo has ranked second in points per game (29.6) and first in offensive EPA. As for Allen calling the plays, it remains to be seen whether the quarterback will eventually get an opportunity.