What to expect from Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator

How will the Bills offense look under new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey?

That’s the big question for the offense. How will he utilize some of the weapons Buffalo has at their disposal?

Dorsey is stepping into a good situation to say the least. He has a certified star quarterback in Josh Allen and Allen is surrounded by weapons. He has a route-running guru in Stefon Diggs, an explosive tight end in Dawson Knox, a speed demon in Isaiah McKenzie, along with Davis, Singletary, Cook, Howard, Crowder, etc.

He has the pieces and is set up for some great success in his first year… but how is Dorsey’s offense going to differ from Brian Daboll’s?

While Daboll mostly had success in Buffalo and was a factor in Allen’s development, he did have some questionable decisions and play calls, especially early on in his tenure. His reluctance to turn away from the run game at times is something that I know many Bills fans got frustrated by. And while establishing a run game is very crucial to the flow of the offense, you have to know when to go to it and when to move away from it.

Dorsey said in a recent presser that it’s helpful for him to use his experience as the QB for the Miami Hurricanes in college to get a grip on what this offense may entail. That Hurricanes team was full of playmakers, which should help Dorsey to visualize what the Bills could look like on offense.

Being on the Bills staff for the last 2 years is certainly an advantage for Dorsey. He has been able to watch Josh Allen grow and develop, as well as the skill players around him. He knows this offense and that should be a huge benefitting factor in his ability to coach them.

We can be sure Dorsey will be watching tape and learning what he can from Daboll’s offense the last couple years. He now has the power to keep what was successful and throw away what wasn’t. I think what you’ll see in this new Bills offense is more of Allen taking the reigns and having a lot of input on the play calling. We saw this more in the second half of the Chiefs game in the playoffs last year where Allen was slinging it and the offense ran directly through him.

Dorsey has been quoted of saying, “You’d be crazy not to have the input of your quarterback, or guys on offense.”

That right there confirms to me that this is Allen’s offense. I do think you’ll see more gadget plays from Dorsey this year. Getting the ball into his playmakers hands in different situations. McKenzie and James Cook will be 2 guys I’m excited to see him utilize. Daboll and staff struggled to see the potential and flash in McKenzie, but when he did have the chance to make plays, he made the most of his opportunities. I believe that he’ll be a vital part of the Bills offense this year with the departure of Cole Beasley as well.

James Cook has flashes as both a RB and a WR and can be used as a weapon coming out of the backfield as both a rusher and a pass catcher. The use of Singletary and Cook interchangeably should be a very effective strategy for this offense.

There have been reports as well that Dorsey is a very competitive guy. Gabe Davis and Mitch Morse have both taken note of his competitive nature. Dorsey was even said to be cussing at a ref during a team dodge ball game! That’s the guy you want on your side. Players have even joked saying that Dorsey can’t be calling plays on the sidelines because he’ll get “too fired up” during the game.

Coaches that aren’t afraid to show heart and passion on the field and get into it with the refs every once in a while is what motivates a team. When their coach has that much fire, that carries over to the players, and that’s something Buffalo can take advantage of with Dorsey calling plays.

I know many of us were sad to see Daboll go, but the torch was passed on to a capable Dorsey. He has a chance to hit the ground running and he couldn’t have been thrown into a better situation than the one that is staring him in the face now. When your offense is centered around Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, you’re already in good shape. Especially after being in the system for the last two years as well. As OTAs and training camp roll along, we’ll be able to get a better grasp of what plans Ken Dorsey has for the talented Bills offense.