Bills start workouts under Brady
Buffalo began its first offseason workouts under new coordinator Joe Brady in Orchard Park, a phase the team called foundational for the new staff’s direction. That day‑one stretch matters because early install and chemistry work often sets the tone for training camp and the season ahead. (wgrz.com)
Snow was falling in Orchard Park when Buffalo opened its offseason program on April 7, and that was the first official workday of Joe Brady’s tenure as Bills head coach after his January 27 promotion. (espn.com, buffalobills.com) This part of the National Football League calendar is quieter than training camp, because Phase One allows only meetings, strength work, and rehab. Buffalo’s dates are already set: voluntary minicamp on April 20 to April 22, organized team activities starting May 18, and mandatory minicamp on June 9 to June 11. (nfl.com) Buffalo got the early April start because teams with new head coaches are allowed to begin sooner than returning staffs. The Bills were one of 10 clubs in that category after firing Sean McDermott on January 19 and elevating Brady eight days later. (espn.com, nfl.com, espn.com) Brady is not walking into a rebuild. Buffalo went 12-5 in the 2025 regular season, scored 481 points, and lost 30-33 to Denver in the divisional round, which is close enough to contend that small coaching changes can swing a season. (pro-football-reference.com) The offense is the reason Brady got the big chair. Buffalo’s official site says the Bills led the National Football League in rushing in 2025, and Brady spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator before taking over the whole team. (buffalobills.com, buffalobills.com) That makes these first meetings less about inventing a new playbook from scratch and more about changing the voice in the room. Brady told players he would not overload them on day one, and left tackle Dion Dawkins said the building felt like “a new vibe” and compared it to pulling up in a new car. (espn.com) The quarterback piece matters too, because Josh Allen is back in the building after surgery on a broken bone in his right foot. National Football League reporting said in January that Allen was expected back for the offseason program, and ESPN reported he attended this opening week. (nfl.com, espn.com) There is also a new target to fold in right away. Buffalo officially acquired wide receiver D. J. Moore from Chicago on March 11, giving Allen a veteran receiver who already knows Brady from their Carolina Panthers years. (buffalobills.com) Dawkins said “everybody was present” on the first day, and in a voluntary program that is one of the few attendance details teams and players ever hint at publicly. In April, coaches cannot run full football, so getting veterans in seats, in lifts, and in meeting rooms is the closest thing to a real first impression. (espn.com, nfl.com) By the time Buffalo reaches organized team activities in mid-May, the point of this week will be clearer. Brady’s first test is not a Sunday in September yet; it is whether a 78-day transition from playoff exit to new coach can turn the same core roster into a team that hears one message and moves at one pace. (espn.com, pro-football-reference.com)
