INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (WKBW) — For the first time as head coach and for the first time in his elevated role of President of Football Operations, Joe Brady and Brandon Beane kicked off the 2026 NFL Combine by speaking to reporters.
Here's what we learned from day 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
There's obviously a level of nuance for Joe Brady as a first-time head coach who's been an offense-oriented guy in his career. But he feels that experience of going up against multiple defenses and evaluating them on a week-by-week basis over the years allows him to seamless transition into a more "holistic" approach to the evaluation process.
"I've been sitting in all the offensive meetings for these years, right? But I've also gone against all these defensive players, so I understand some of the skillsets that give us issues on offense," Joe Brady told 7 Sports."
As it pertains to general manager Brandon Beane, his new title on paper seemingly gives him more control of both the draft process and the offseason approach to free agency as well. However, Beane remains adamant that "collaboration" will be at the forefront of all these roster decisions moving forward.
"Nothing really changes. Joe and I believe that it's important that the coach and GM collaborate, making sure the people we all work with understand the assignment, Beane said on Tuesday. "Making sure we all see through the lens of how this player fits and that player fits as we prepare to make decisions for the upcoming free agency and the draft."
So as the week rolls on, so will the evaluation process. The glaring position of need for the Bills is at wide receiver, and with that offensive-minded background, Brady told reporters that before any decisions are made about bringing in wide receivers, they have to fit what they want to do offensively.
"The biggest thing about wide receivers is that no two wide receivers are the same," Brady adds. "Understanding their skillsets and what those look like in specific drills. Some guys who are naturally quicker, I hope to see that quickness in some of the drills. I hope those guys do that, but you are what you put on tape as well."
We also learned a little bit more about where the Bills fall in the ongoing Keon Coleman situation. And it continues to look like, at least for now, Coleman will get another shot at redemption this season. A lot of that may have to do with how the young wideout performed last offseason at this time and during training camp. It seems that Beane has confidence as long as Coleman does the right things off the field, his on-field improvement will follow.
"That's kind of the challenge for Keon, can you go back and do what you did all offseason and your training camp," added Beane. "Don't let some of the maturity issues off the field affect the product on the field."
You can find one-on-one interviews with both Brandon Beane and Joe Brady above. Check back on-air, online and on our social media pages for more updates from the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
