Bills GM voices support for Sean McDermott after loss to Chiefs

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane backed the job coach Sean McDermott did in the face of criticism and a midseason slump on Tuesday, while dismissing the notion the team has plateaued after being eliminated in the divisional playoff round for a third consecutive season.

At the same time, Beane raised a red flag in assessing offseason challenges he faces rebuilding a roster that currently features 22 pending unrestricted free agents — nine of them regulars — while being handcuffed by salary cap restraints.

“Obviously, I’m going to have to be creative with the cap, and I don’t think I need to say it, but I don’t think you’re gonna see any splashes,” he said during a lengthy end-of-season news conference two days after a 27-24 loss to Kansas City.

“Even if I found something that was exciting to me, I don’t think it would fit within our parameters,” said Beane, whose team is projected to need to clear more than $40 million in payroll before the NFL’s signing period opens in March. “We’ll work around it. We’re not planning to take a year off and just not be competitive.”

The Bills are coming off a 12-7 finish in which they overcame a rash of defensive injuries and the midseason firing of their offensive coordinator by closing with five straight wins to claim their fourth straight AFC East title.

After a playoff-opening 31-17 win over Pittsburgh, Buffalo’s loss to Kansas City re-emphasized questions over the team’s short-comings. During the Bills five-year playoff run, they’ve been eliminated by Kansas City three times, including the 2020 AFC championship game, as well as Cincinnati in the divisional round last year, and Houston in a wild-card outing in the 2019 season playoffs.

“I don’t subscribe to the window as closing or it’s closed,” Beane said. “While we’re extremely disappointed, nobody’s more disappointed than me, I’m also not going to just throw the whole season out and say, `Let’s tear this thing up and start over.'”

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Publish date : 2024-01-24 04:21:33

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