Josh Allen could be in line for an even more versatile Bills offense in 2026, with Joe Brady still set to call the plays and keep the team’s direction steady despite the change at offensive coordinator to Pete Carmichael, Jr.
The Bills have already shown they can win with a heavy dose of the run game. After moving on from the pass-heavy approach of former coordinators Brian Daboll and Ken Dorsey, they leaned into a ground-and-pound identity under Brady, and James Cook rewarded that shift by winning the rushing title in 2025.
That formula should still be part of the plan. Cook has been a centerpiece over the last three seasons, rushing for 1,000+ yards in each one, and the Bills have finished in the Top 5 in offense in two of those years. Last season, the team leaned even more toward the run, a natural fit for Cook’s blend of power, speed and his ability to work between the tackles at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
But the Bills also have reasons to open things up through the air. Allen remains the engine of the offense, and the expectation is that Brady and Carmichael Jr. will look for more pass plays with a quarterback who has already been elite since entering the league in 2018.
Allen won MVP in 2024 after thriving in a receiver-by-committee setup, and the addition of D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears gives him a real chance to have a No. 1 target who can top 1,000+ yards for the first time since Stefon Diggs did it in 2023.
The receiving room has more to offer than just Moore, too. Khalil Shakir returns after leading the team in receiving last season, and he should keep seeing plenty of work on Brady’s screen passes. Rookie Skyler Bell, a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, also looks like a clean fit for that part of the offense.
That screen game could become a bigger weapon if Brady leans into it the way Bills fans expect. Shakir and Bell can handle it on the perimeter, while Cook and Ray Davis could be involved in the running-back screen game as well, echoing a staple from the Bills’ four straight trips to the Super Bowl in the 1990s.
There’s also the possibility of more tempo. If the screen game is working and the Bills want to speed things up, Allen can get to the line quickly and snap the ball before defenses settle in.
The shape of this offense seems clear: more balance, more flexibility, and a 60 % pass rate against a 40 % run rate. The Bills want the ability to throw quickly, run when the defense gives it to them, and chew clock when they can control the game on the ground. In the end, it comes down to how well they adapt to whatever each week throws at them.
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