When Sean McDermott replaced Rex Ryan as the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach, it didn’t take long to realize that things were changing drastically at One Bills Drive. Throughout the offseason, McDermott quickly gained great trust of owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who gave the first-time head coach almost unprecedented power, essentially making him the face of the franchise with their ‘One Voice’ philosophy.

All the while, Doug Whaley was in the shadows before ultimately being fired along with the entire scouting staff one day following the 2017 NFL draft. The Pegulas got to work quickly with McDermott, hiring former Carolina Panthers GM Brandon Beane to become the Bills’ 13th general manager in team history. Beane was a savvy hire, as the first-time general manager rose through the NFL ranks, beginning his 19-year career in media relations before spending time with player personnel, scouting and contract negotiations.

His connection with McDermott, who had spent the previous six seasons together in Carolina made the Beane hiring a logical match. But Beane quickly got to work, showing off his networking abilities and past relationships to put together a team of well-respected and experienced front office executives to surround him – many of which have been regarded as potential future general managers in their own right.

In the span of two days, Beane hired Joe Schoen as his Assistant General Manager and Brian Gaine – who interviewed for the Bills’ GM vacancy – as the Vice President of Player Personnel.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Beane told Buffalobills.com. “I had hoped to get one of these two guys and I got them both. It was no guarantee I could get either one of them, but to get them both… I’m floating as much as when I got the job. I’m happy for them.”

Schoen spent nearly one decade with the Miami Dolphins, where he spent five years as a National Scout before serving as the Director of Player Personnel for the last three seasons. He has familiarity with Beane, as the two worked from 2001-07 together with the Panthers and has a strong background in college scouting.

Gaine had previously held a similar position with the Texans and was allowed to make the lateral move to Buffalo after Houston’s general manager Rick Smith allowed him to leave. As Beane stated, he was shocked to have the opportunity to hire Gaine, who he had known for five years.

“It’s generally a pretty lateral move, but Brian was excited about building this and starting this,” Beane said. “I think partnering with me and Joe was attractive. I know Brian and who he is to the core and trust that he’s going to be a big-time asset.”

Most first-time general managers wouldn’t give a thought to hiring somebody that interviewed for the same position that he earned, but Beane is already showing that he’s willing to work with talented individuals, regardless of their growth potential.

Pro Personnel wasn’t the only area where the Bills made big-time hires, either, as Malik Boyd was brought on as the team’s Director of Pro Personnel. Boyd comes from the Arizona Cardinals, where he was the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting.

Boyd was the recipient of the 2014 Fritz Pollard Scout of the Year award and has nearly two decades of experience in scouting from the regional to national level.

“He was my number one choice,” said Beane. “The first guy I targeted. I appreciate (Arizona GM) Steve Keim letting him come over here and interview. It was very kind of him because he was under contract. Malik is talented. He won an award in 2014, the Fritz Pollard Scout of the Year. They don’t just throw those out. He earned it. He’s going to be a great influence on our pro staff. He has a high ceiling.”

Under Boyd were two more quality, tenured hires in their two new National Scouts, Marvin Allen and Brian Adams. Allen has 24 years of scouting experience and spent the last four seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs Director of College Scouting.

“Marvin started in the 90’s. He’s most recently been a college (scouting) director so he’s sat in that seat,” Beane said. “He’s going to be a great resource not only for me, but for all our college scouts.”

Allen is another veteran scout who brings over 30 years of experience to the table and spent seven seasons in Carolina with Beane, who understands the knowledge that each can provide not only to him but to the team’s younger scouts as well.

Finally, Lake Dawson was hired as Buffalo’s Director of College Scouting. Dawson spent nine seasons as the Tennessee Titans’ VP of Player Personnel after starting with the Seattle Seahawks in 2001.

On paper, the Bills have put together a quality front office and scouting department that is experienced, knowledgeable and most importantly – well respected throughout the NFL.

A large part of Buffalo’s struggles has been a result of poor drafting and below-average pro personnel acquisitions. Now, Brandon Beane is showing that he has put his ego to the side in order to assemble a star-studded team of wise and experienced football minds that, like he did, rose through the ranks the hard way to acheive their current positions.