Sean McDermott’s time with the Buffalo Bills ended in a divisional-round overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. In his nine seasons, McDermott won five straight AFC East titles and went to the playoffs eight times, without ever going to the Super Bowl. 

Since leaving the Bills, McDermott has largely stayed out of the coaching search cycle, opting instead to spend 2026 observing other organizations and weighing media opportunities. Now, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McDermott is making his return to the NFL spotlight in a different capacity, marking his first appearance around the league since his firing nine months ago.

“Former Bills HC Sean McDermott is at today’s Titans-Bears joint practice and is spending time with Chicago HC Ben Johnson,” Adam Schefter wrote on X.

He was spotted at the joint practice session of the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears at the Vanderbilt Health Football Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

This is not the first time he was spotted during the 2026 offseason after his firing. Previously, back in late July, he was seen with the Los Angeles Rams during one of the training camp practices.

Before his tenure as the Bills head coach, McDermott built his resume as a defensive coordinator, first under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles and later with the Carolina Panthers, where he helped build a top defense en route to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015.

After his firing, the Bills filled the void by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. If we look from the angle of hierarchy, it might look pretty ugly as McDermott brought Brady onto the Bills coaching staff, but instead of resenting the appointment, he appeared to be rooting for the new Bills head coach. 

“I think Joe is going to do a great job,” McDermott said in Early August on the Jim Rome Show. “You know he was with us for four seasons on my staff. He had a chance to watch, learn, and grow. Joe came to us from a situation in Carolina. He is a College of William & Mary grad. I’m a William & Mary grad, and the information I got on Joe was that he was a hard worker and really smart, and those are two great qualities, as well as being a good person, so we snagged Joe up, and it was to our benefit. Joe is a heck of a coach, and I think he is going to do a great job.”

That trust wasn’t built overnight. McDermott brought Brady in as the Bills’ quarterback coach back in 2022, and he later stepped up to offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season after the Bills moved on from Ken Dorsey. 

However, McDermott’s appearance at the practice camp has fans wishing for something drastic.

“He will be the assistant dc for the bears once Dennis leaves next year,” one fan wrote.

“Getting the spot ready for when he eventually fires DA this year,” another tweet read.

“Fire Dennis Allen and make him the DC.”

“S–t if Dennis Allen’s defense is s–t again Ben [Johnson] might have someone in line to replace him

The Bears struggled immensely because of injuries, threatening Allen’s position on the staff. At the end of the season, Chicago finished 23rd in points allowed, 29th in yards allowed. This year, Allen is faced with a fresh bout of injuries to important players, like Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon.

Moreover, the defense seemed underwhelming in the preseason: the Cincinnati Bengals’ backup quarterbacks, Sean Clifford and Josh Johnson, racked up 282 total passing yards.

McDermott, with his stellar resume, will excite fans enough to want him on the Bears’ sideline instead of Allen. Since he was already at camp, will the Bears eventually make the move if Allen disappoints? We will have to wait and watch.