2024 NFL Scouting Combine: Key takeaways from Sean McDermott’s interview

At this stage of the offseason, what can we learn from McDermott’s responses from Indy?

Within the framework of a 30 minute press conference, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott made himself available to the press assembled for the first day of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Over the course of that half hour, plenty of topics were addressed, from McDermott recently being added to the NFL Competition Committee, questions about the injury recovery for cornerback Tre’Davious White and linebacker Matt Milano, what he expects from the AFC East this coming season, and the necessary evil that is watching the Super Bowl after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Plus, McDermott addressed his desire to improve on explosive plays from all aspects of the game, that he can’t really weigh in publicly on the goal line fumble touchback rule now as a member of the Competition Committee, and what wide receiver Gabe Davis has meant to the team and organization.

So what were the the biggest takeaways from within all that McDermott spoke about? Read on to find out…

No decision whether or not DC Bobby Babich calling plays for the defense

When asked, to begin the session, McDermott simply responded with a non-committal and popular refrain:

“We’ll talk about it. We’ll make that decision when we need to. Right now we’re just one step at a time.”

It’s perhaps unfair to expect any sort of revealing answer at this point in time, but the noteworthy thing to consider here is that it’s not set in stone (yet) that Babich will call the plays.

On Sean McDermott joining the Competition Committee

When asked how it all came together, McDermott demurred to the league as it pertains to their selection process. After spending some time discussing being honored and humbled to be given the opportunity, McDermott mentioned:

“I just took a minute or two to ask ‘hey what does it entail?,’ because I’m sensitive to spending as much time as I can with our team and the things that revolve around our organization.”

Where are Tre’Davious White and Matt Milano in their injury recovery?

When asked about how White and Milano were progressing following season-ending injuries early last season, McDermott offered the following:

“Both doing well; both working extremely hard. I mean, I see those guys almost every day, sometimes more than others just based on their rehab schedule or their doctors appointments. Sometimes they fly for a doctor’s appointment elsewhere. But those two have both been working really hard.”

McDermott was then asked if both were rehabbing in Buffalo, to which he noted:

“When I left Tre was, Matt wasn’t at the current time. But I’ve been in and out”

McDermott was also unable to give a timetable to return for either player, but that’s not necessarily a concerning situation at this point in the offseason — it’s more about simply seeing how they’re progressing each week.

McDermott’s takeaways from watching Super Bowl LVIII

“Yeah I did watch the Super Bowl. As hard as it is to watch it, I think it is a necessary evil because you can learn from it. Listen, as much as you want, you know we want to be there, I want to be there, our fans want us to be there — you know you have to respect what they’ve been able to accomplish and how they’ve been able to do it. High level of play, high-level, high level of execution.”

On how they might be able to challenge those safeties they meet with in Indy this week

“I feel like, overall, you know playing the safety position is different than playing any other position on the field. Not only do you have to be able to play the position, but you’ve got to be able to lead and communicate back there, and be able to see the game ‘big-picture’ then be able to cut it down to a smaller picture. And that doesn’t always occur at all those other positions on defense. So, for us, you know it’s a position I’ve played and have experience coaching and I think that’s one of the values of Bobby (Babich) as well — he’s coached it at a high level. And so, being around the great safeties we’ve been fortunate to be around as coaches — Micah (Hyde), Jordan (Poyer), Brian Dawkins… over the years Quintin Michael, Michael Lewis… I mean the list goes on and on. Right? Kurt Coleman, I mean I’m gonna leave some out that I’ll probably get a text that I didn’t mention here. You’re fortunate when you’re a coach and being able to coach those players because you learn things from them as well that you carry forward in your career.”

Micah Hyde’s future with the Bills is still up in the air

When the season ended, we saw a post from Hyde’s wife that carried a farewell tone in thanking the Buffalo area, Bills Mafia, and of course the organization, and Hyde himself was a bit mysterious in committing to a 2024 season with the team. Whether those two things mean retirement is in the works or perhaps a desire to continue playing but the need to do so elsewhere, we don’t know.

And at this point, it appears One Bills Drive isn’t aware much beyond our outside vantage point. To that end, Sean McDermott noted that he hasn’t yet spoken to Micah Hyde about his plans for 2024.

What McDermott learned about Josh Allen from interviews during the Combine

McDermott was fielded a great question asking him to reflect on the team’s meetings with quarterback Josh Allen at Lucas Oil Field. McDermott responded as such:

“Oh man, you’re testing my memory now. I just think, overall, the process with Josh, he just stood out — and I’ll go back to, if I could, to our visit with him even. Right? He drove, I think it was like an hour and a half or two hours to make the appointment for us at dinner because he had just flown back from somewhere else. I think that, just that… that… act, showed how important the process was to him, which spoke volumes about who he was as a person at the time. Right? Hey, being on time, going out of his way to be at that dinner as close to on time as he could, I think was a great start for him because — again, this is as much about who these players are as people. Most of them, if not all, have the skill. Right? It’s moreso for me who they are as people. And watching Josh go through that interview process, it wasn’t easy. But just some of the intangibles that shown through I thought were some of what separated him.”

When a follow-up was asked about particular traits they were looking for in a franchise QB, McDermott answered with:

“Someone that was gonna match the fit and the culture of Buffalo. That was a big thing for me. You can see on film Josh could make the throws, he had the arm strength, he had the size, he had the measurables. As we sat there with him, it was mostly the intangibles as well as the mental — how quickly could he process information… I think that’s certainly important when you’re playing the quarterback position.”

You can catch up on everything Sean McDermott had to say during Monday’s presser in the video embedded below.