Buffalo Bills’ OC options include Ken Dorsey, Pep Hamilton, Doug Pederson, Zac Robinson, more

There is no offseason in the NFL.

Less than one week after being eliminated from the playoffs, the Buffalo Bills are looking to fill assistant general manager and offensive coordinator vacancies. After the New York Giants hired Joe Schoen away from Buffalo to be their new GM, it was just a matter of time before New York would take Brian Daboll. That move became official on Friday night.

Buffalo is now tasked with replacing Daboll, the AP’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020 and architect of a Bills offense that was among the best in the league the past two seasons. Working in Buffalo’s favor is having Josh Allen at quarterback. Anyone who takes over for Daboll could be on the fast track to a NFL head coaching gig if they can keep Buffalo’s offense on track in 2022 and beyond.

The Bills have internal and external options to replace Daboll. Here are some names to watch.

Ken Dorsey, Bills QB coach

Ken Dorsey is, by far, the favorite to take over for Daboll, but he’s also in play to join the Giants as Daboll’s offensive coordinator.

Earlier in the week, Josh Allen heaped praise onto Dorsey for what he has done for his career since joining the Bills.

“I think when he got here three years ago my career definitely changed,” Allen told the media. “In terms of just how I viewed football and to have a guy in the room that played the game. Just the way that he approaches the game, he’s competitive, smart, he works his ass off. I appreciate what he’s done for me in my career so far… again, wherever the chips fall.”

Dorsey’s decision could come down to money, but he seems to be Josh Allen’s top choice to take over.

In addition to his time in Buffalo, Dorsey played a big role in Cam Newton’s MVP season with the Panthers back in 2015.

Shea Tierney, Assistant QBs coach

Sean McDermott noted that he felt the Bills had some internal candidates for any vacancies that could arise. Dorsey was the most obvious, but Shea Tierney is another name to watch.

Tierney has been with the Bills organization since 2018. He started as an offensive assistant but was promoted to assistant QBs coach in 2020. He’s another coach that has earned the trust of Josh Allen.

“He’s the most underpaid person working for the Bills,” Allen told Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News in August of 2021. “He does so much for this team and this offense.”

There is an argument to be made as to whether or not Tierney is ready to make a jump to offensive coordinator, but he needs to at least be considered for the job. That said, Tierney is another coach that Buffalo could potentially lose to the Giants. Tierney worked as an offensive analyst for Brian Daboll at Alabama and followed him to Buffalo in 2018.

Chad Hall, WRs coach

Chad Hall is loved inside of One Bills Drive and has built quite the bond with his wide receivers to the point that the unit bought him a truck for Christmas during the 2020 season. Hall, a former NFL wide receiver and collegiate RB for Air Force, could be an under the radar target.

Hall, 35, has been with the Bills since 2017. He first served as an offensive assistant, but has been the team’s wide receivers coach since 2019.

Rob Boras, TE coach

Boras, Buffalo’s tight ends coach, has prior NFL experience as an offensive coordinator. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in December of 2015 by the then-St. Louis Rams and named the permanent offensive coordinator for the 2016 season. It was a forgettable season for the Rams offense who went 4-5 with Case Keenum at QB and 0-7 under rookie QB Jared Goff.

It’s possible that Boras has learned plenty from that experience, but he would be a bit of a surprise hire.

Zac Robinson, Rams assistant QBs coach

The Sean McVay coaching tree is worth looking into if you’re the Bills. McVay has had plenty of success in his young career as a head coach and the same can be said for coaches under him. Zac Taylor’s Bengals are in the AFC Championship Game, Brandon Staley found success in his first season as Chargers head coach and Matt LaFleur, McVay’s OC in 2017, has been outstanding in Green Bay.

Robinson, the Rams’ assistant QBs coach, seems like the next coach ready to make the leap to coordinator. McVay has referred to Robinson, a former NFL QB, as a rising star in this profession.”

Robinson has served as the Rams’ assistant QBs coach (2019, 2021) and assistant WRs coach (2020) with the Rams.

Pep Hamilton, Texans passing game coordinator & QBs coach

If Buffalo goes outside of the organization, Pep Hamilton is another name to watch. Hamilton has had success all over the league in various roles including offensive coordinator. He most recently served as the Texans’ passing game coordinator and QBs coach. During his time in Houston this season, Hamilton helped significantly with Davis Mills’ development. Over the second half of the season, a case could be made for Mills being the best QB of the 2021 rookie class.

In addition to Mills, Hamilton helped Justin Herbert become the NFL’s Rookie of the Year as the Chargers’ QBs coach in 2020 and earned plenty of praise for his work in Indianapolis with Andrew Luck.

Doug Pederson, former Eagles HC

The former NFL head coach could land on his feet in Buffalo and give himself another head coaching opportunity sooner rather than later. Pederson sat out of the 2021 NFL season, but could view working with Josh Allen as an ideal situation.

Pederson also has ties to head coach Sean McDermott as the two worked on the same Philadelphia Eagles staff from 2009-2010.

Duce Staley, Lions assistant HC & RBs coach

Although their coaching careers did not overlap, Duce Staley is another coach that McDermott knows well. Before joining the Eagles’ coaching staff in 2011, Staley was a running back with the team from 1997-2003. During Staley’s playing days, McDermott was the Eagles’ assistant to the head coach (2001) and defensive assistant and quality control coach (2002-2003).

Since those days, Staley has worked his way up the coaching ranks. He served as the Eagles’ assistant head coach and running backs coach from 2018-2020 and had the same title this season with the Detroit Lions.

Staley interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching vacancy in 2020 and has earned praise throughout his coaching career.

Jim Caldwell, former HC

Jim Caldwell still has interest in coaching in the NFL. Caldwell recently interviewed for head coaching vacancies with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears job has since been filled, but Caldwell could still be in play with Jacksonville.

If he does not land with the Jaguars, Buffalo should be interested in the former head coach. Caldwell most recently served as the Lions’ head coach from 2014-2017. During that time, he led the Lions to a 36-28 record. Before his stop in Detroit, Caldwell served as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator and helped the team win Super Bowl XLVII. He also had success as the Colts’ head coach leading them to a 14-2 season and a 10-6 season in his first two years on the job.

The only risk in hiring Caldwell would be due to health issues. Caldwell was supposed to serve as the Dolphins’ assistant head coach and QBs coach in 2019 but he had to take a leave of absence to address health issues in July. He remained on as a consultant that season but did not return to the organization the following year.

Caldwell has said that the health issue is behind him, for what it’s worth.

“Almost back to fighting weight, you know. I feel good,” Caldwell said on a podcast appearance. “I had an issue that popped up that really was something that could be corrected without surgery. Just a matter of getting a little bit more rest and watching my diet and that kind of thing and exercise, as I’ve always done, which you well know. I constantly exercise but the interesting thing was I had to change my diet quite a bit. I’ve been on strictly a plant-based diet for well over a year now. So I’ve lost, since you’ve seen me, I’ve lost 32 pounds.”

Mike Kafka, Chiefs QBs coach & passing game coordinator

The Bills could also turn to a coach on the team that has ended their season the past two years.

Mike Kafka, 34, was a quarterback in the NFL before turning to coaching. He began his career with the Eagles spending the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the team. McDermott was still part of the coaching staff in Kafka’s rookie season so it’s possible the two have some sort of relationship from that stint.

After his playing career ended, Kafka turned to coaching. He’s been with the Chiefs since 2017. Kafka started as a quality control coach but has worked his way up the coaching ladder in Kansas City.

Of course, Reid could have a say in the matter as he reportedly kept the Eagles from potentially adding Kafka as their OC in 2020.

Joe Brady, former Panthers OC

Joe Brady was dismissed as Panthers offensive coordinator in his second season with the team, but it wasn’t that long ago that Brady was among the hottest names in football.

Brady won the Broyles Award in 2019 for top assistant coach in college football, but has been tasked with working with the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and P.J. Walker in Carolina. None of the quarterbacks listed above are more than game managers at this point in their careers so it’s tough to judge Brady on his job in Carolina.

Brady actually deserves some praise for his work with Bridgewater in 2020. In 15 games, Bridgewater completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Bridgewater had career highs in completion percentage, completions and yards that season.

Wes Phillips, Rams passing game coordinator

Another coach under McVay to consider is Wes Phillips. Phillips, the Rams’ current passing game coordinator, has 15 years of experience in the NFL and is the son of former Bills head coach Wade Phillips.

Phillips has served as the Rams’ tight end coach since 2019 and added the title pass game coordinator to his job title in 2021.

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