This article just popped up in my MSN feed. I knew nothing about this. Thoughts?
The Buffalo Bills made a smart under-the-radar move to start the week that should only serve to help the offense.
Buffalo reportedly hired DJ Mangas as an offensive assistant. Most of the time, an offensive assistant hire doesn't move the needle. But Mangas is an interesting addition to the Bills' staff due to his connection to offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Mangas and Brady are extremely close. The two played college football together at William & Mary. And more importantly, they were on staff together at LSU during the Tigers' record-breaking season in 2019 that featured monstrous performances from Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson. Mangas sat next to Brady throughout LSU's national championship run.
Mangas has since served as an assistant with the Carolina Panthers and as the passing game coordinator at LSU. He was most recently the offensive coordinator at the University of Buffalo.
It's not like the addition of Mangas is suddenly going to take the Bills' offense to a new level. But his addition will allow Brady to be a little more comfortable in his role as Buffalo's offensive coordinator. Continuity on an offensive staff is incredibly important. And having Mangas, who actually officiated Brady's wedding, will provide some of that much-needed continuity.
This move also shows that Sean McDermott is committed to letting Brady run his offense, which is something the young play-caller didn't really get to do during his short run as the Panthers' offensive coordinator under Matt Rhule (and that job set Brady's career back a bit).
By firing Ken Dorsey, the Bills may have stumbled into one of the best offensive coordinator situations in the NFL.