In this year’s draft, Beane traded Buffalo’s first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for wide receiver Stefon Diggs who is currently tied for the league-lead with 90 receptions and has 1,037 receiving yards in 12 games. His fourth-round pick in wide receiver Gabriel Davis is playing at a level higher than his draft status with a team-high five receiving touchdowns and averaging 16.9 yards per catch – the second-most among rookie wide receivers.
Prior to coming to Buffalo, Beane spent 19 years with the Carolina Panthers in various roles and was the assistant general manager in his final season. Beane overlapped with McDermott in Carolina from 2011 to 2016. The two have built a positive culture in Buffalo that is desirable to free agents and rookies. They also changed a long-standing league-wide perception of the Bills for better. Their adopted mantra of drafting, developing and re-signing their own players has proved to already be successful. McDermott said he can’t imagine having anyone else as GM.
“My view on Brandon hasn’t changed since the day we first met,” McDermott explained. “When I was around him in Carolina he always had a great way about him, in particular with people skills. Then to me, a great balance of the business and the operation and then also blending the football side, that’s unique around the league.
“I think for most GMs to have that experience on the business side of the football end of things, I really can’t envision myself working with anybody else but Brandon moving forward. For coaches, as I mentioned earlier, it’s one thing to be a good coach and develop players. But if you’re not being fed good players, it’s almost like drinking from a from a dry hose. That’s a hard thing to sustain over the course of time. So being fed good players, being fed players that match what we’re looking for, Brandon has done a phenomenal job. I can’t envision myself working with any other GM.”
