QB Josh Allen will have input on offensive coordinator should Brian Daboll get new job

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — It's a problem the Buffalo Bills really haven't had to deal with; departing ways with coaches because they've gotten head coaching opportunities elsewhere around the league.

Both offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier have been in the Bills system for years, but they may not be in Buffalo much longer. Both were linked to head coaching vacancies last season and are once again considered to be top candidates for a handful of this offseason's openings.

Daboll's name has become pretty popular as of late, as he just completed a second interview with the New York Giants. The Giants recently hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their new general manager.

It's no surprise Daboll is a hot candidate this offseason, considering what this Bills offense has done not just all season but in their two playoff games.

"I think teams would be foolish not to offer Brian Daboll a job. I'm praying they don't because I want him back here, but I love him and his family too much to really think that," Allen said on Monday. "I think he's one of the best coaches in the league and I think whatever team gets him is going to be lucky."

Losing any coach will be difficult for the players, especially a guy like Daboll. He's built relationships with everyone on that offense and is well-known for his big part in helping to develop Allen as a quarterback.

"I was extremely fortunate he came back last year, but I haven't looked into it all that much [this year]," Allen said about the possibility of losing Daboll. "But I believe in the guys in this locker room as well that we're willing to do whatever it takes, whether it's learning a new system or learning the same system with a new coach. We just have to band together and I trust the guys in this locker room."

The trust the two have built with each other is irreplaceable, but it's also why the team will consider Allen's input when it comes to naming Daboll's replacement, if it comes down to that.

"Josh and I communicate on a lot of things. He will be in the loop and he will be communicated with," head coach Sean McDermott said. "We certainly value Josh's opinion on things and it's important that he's comfortable as well. No decision will be made without Josh being looped in."

"I think every quarterback would love to be a part of that process," Allen said. "I do know there's a guy in this building that I'm a huge advocate for. It's not my job, it's not my decision to make that. But I think as a quarterback, as a competitor, you definitely want to feel like you have some sort of say in it. Whether it's taken or not, it's not up to me."

That guy Allen is referring to is quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey, who joined the team's staff in 2019. He's the other big key in Allen's development.

"I think when he got here three years ago, my career definitely changed in terms of how I viewed the game," Allen said about Dorsey. "The way he approaches the game, he's competitive, he's smart. I appreciate what he's done for me over the course of my years so far."

Dorsey is one of many candidates currently at One Bills Drive who could step into a coordinator role not just with the Bills, but with any team around the league. McDermott was once an assistant who got promoted to a coordinator position, and says when it comes to potentially replacing either of his coordinators, they have guys on their staff who are capable to step into that role.

"You want to be able to promote from within just like in any business. That's where you get your return on investment, that's where you try and foster morale and camaraderie," McDermott said. "There's two sides to that. They have to show you what it takes and you'd love to be able to do that in any situation."

McDermott added that he has had conversations with his coordinators regarding possibly taking assistants with them if they should take a promotion. He says those conversations will stay in-house.