Joe Brady confirms suspicions on one of the biggest offseason questions, and it’s sure to spark controversy among Bills Mafia
Joe Brady left nothing to the imagination with his response.
Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady was speaking with former center Eric Wood about his new position and what he’s looking to bring fresh into One Bills Drive. One of the biggest talking points during the entire interview was Brady’s usage of the screen pass.
As Wood eluded to, there is a specific reason for them on a week-to-week basis. Whether the game plan calls for it or the situation calls for it, there’s a reason it’s in so many of the packages. Screens can be used to get other players out of the box or help read how the defense is utilizing the blitz. One thing is for certain: The screen pass is here to stay and will be a staple of the offense in 2026.
“Look, there’s a lot of different things that come with the wide receiver screens,” Brady said. “Sometimes they’re run plays that you get some issues, and you got an advantage, and you spit it out. There’s so many different versions of screens. Sometimes, it’s a screen that you want to put up early, so if the defense has to sit there and think twice about, hey, do I want to bring some of these blitzes, and man, they’re putting a lot of stress on me late.”
Some of the decisions to run a screen pass don’t fall on the shoulders of the offensive coordinator, or in this case, the head coach, but rather on what quarterback Josh Allen is seeing up front. Allen is the motor that makes the offense run, and if he sees something he doesn’t like, he can work out of that set and get a new play going. It’s not all on Brady and his decisions.
“There’s sometimes you might have calls, you might have two plays in a call, and Josh has the ability if he doesn’t like a look or he wants to be able to have a breather, spit a screen out,” Brady said. “Sometimes we’re calling them on third-and-8.”
The screen pass is actually a good thing, and the numbers back it up
According to SumerSports, Buffalo doesn’t even rank in the top five in the league in 2025 for its use of the screen pass. The Kansas City Chiefs (97), Miami Dolphins (94), Denver Broncos (91), Pittsburgh Steelers (90), and Tennessee Titans (84) all utilize that play more than Buffalo, which used it 71 times in the regular season, ranking eighth in the NFL.
“Screens in general, running back screens, receiver screens, they don’t always have the highest hit rate,” Brady said. “They’re usually really big plays, or they’re not, but they set up so many other things, and they put a lot of stress on the defense, making them defend every blade of grass. We have guys that are really good with the ball in their hands.”
While Bills Mafia might think that the screens are pointless or that the team utilizes them too much, according to advanced metrics, Buffalo is one of the more successful teams when running the screen.
The team ranked seventh in EPA per screen play among teams, with a 0.095 EPA, demonstrating that it was an effective weapon in its offensive arsenal. The most efficient screen-passing teams were the New England Patriots (0.330), the San Francisco 49ers (0.186), and the Detroit Lions (0.164).
“I understand, when screens don’t work, I’m pissed off too,” Brady said. “I’m mad at myself as well. But I also know that what that did is that helped open up something else, that helped us be able to identify one of their pressures and be able to then get to the protection plan [ . . . ] there’s a lot of elements that we learn from it regardless of the result of the play, don’t wanna waste plays.”
Joe Brady leaves nothing to the imagination about the 2026 version of the Bills
Once again, if there was any doubt about the screen pass moving forward, Brady left it all out on the table in black and white.
“It’s going to be a part of our offense next year, and we’ve done a really good job of screens the last two years,” Brady said.
Whether fans love it or groan when they see it coming, the screen pass isn’t going anywhere in Buffalo. Under Brady, it’s not a gimmick or a bailout call; it’s a calculated tool designed to stress defenses, diagnose pressure, and set up bigger plays down the road.
With Allen empowered to make checks at the line and the numbers backing up its effectiveness, the screen pass is less about the box score and more about control on the football field.
In Brady’s offense moving forward, that chess piece is staying firmly on the board.
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