McDermott: Getting to Year 8 in Buffalo is 'a team effort'

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) – Sean McDermott is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Buffalo Bills after being hired during the 2017 offseason.

In his seven seasons already in the driver's seat in Orchard Park, McDermott has amassed 73 career wins in 114 games coached, which is second behind only Hall of Fame head coach Marv Levy in franchise history. However, McDermott's win percentage of .640 is a franchise best mark, better than Levy's .615 career win percentage as head coach.

In the few weeks remaining until the regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, McDermott knows getting this far as head coach of an NFL team is not an just an individual achievement.

“Your always confident when you’ve earned a job like that. You’re confident in your own abilities, but there is always questions of how is this really going to take shape," said McDermott while appearing on "Schopp and the Bulldog" on Tuesday. "I haven’t done this myself. It’s been a team effort."

In recent years, the Bills have been a perennial contender in not just the AFC, but across the football landscape. Since 2020, the Bills, under McDermott's tutelage, have been the second-winningest team in the NFL, while also being in the top-two for scoring categories for any team in the league.

This year, however, many around the league, including Bills general manager Brandon Beane, have described this team as one in "transition" after a number of significant roster changes this offseason.

Leaders on the roster like safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, cornerback Tre’Davious White, center Mitch Morse, and wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are all now gone. Fresh new faces like Mike Edwards, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and rookie Keon Coleman enter the picture, while others on the roster from last season will all be expected to step up into bigger roles in 2024.

"It’s hard to see those players move on," McDermott said with Mike Schopp and Chris "Bulldog" Parker on WGR. "I’ll forever be indebted to those players."

Another new addition to the roster this past offseason came during the NFL Draft with the selection of second-round safety Cole Bishop. While he has been working to get integrated into the defensive system in Buffalo, he has been battling a shoulder injury suffered in the earlier stages of training camp in Rochester.

The good news for Bishop, though, was he returned to practice on Tuesday in Orchard Park. It's a positive first step towards the rookie possibly being available for Week 1 of the 2024 season.

"We are hoping by the end of this week, through the course of walk-throughs, getting him hopefully next week into some team reps," McDermott said.

The Bills will close out the 2024 preseason on Saturday afternoon against the Carolina Panthers at Highmark Stadium. Kickoff in Orchard Park is slated for 1 p.m. ET.