The Buffalo Bills are overturning a lot of their assistant coaching staff this offseason and another one just fell, this time a former coach of the year.
Although the new league year hasn’t started yet, more news from the Buffalo Bills has emerged. The team has reportedly parted ways with their head strength and conditioning coach, Eric Ciano. The Bills have made several staff changes recently, including the hiring of cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, senior defensive assistant Ryan Nielsen, and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. Now, the team will be searching for a new head strength and conditioning coach.
Ciano, who joined the Bills in 2010 with former head coach Chan Gailey, previously worked at Georgia Tech from 2005 to 2009 in the same role. In 2020, he was named the NFL’s Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by The Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
For 15 years, Ciano oversaw player workouts and training programs, playing a key role in player rehab and maintaining their fitness throughout the season. The Bills were notably one of the healthier teams this year, a significant improvement from the past few seasons, entering the playoffs almost fully healthy.
Although it’s not solely on the coach and staff, they often bear much of the blame, and fans have been calling for Ciano’s dismissal for years. This frustration was reflected during end-of-season press conferences by general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.
Beane expressed disappointment over rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman’s recovery from a wrist injury, with Coleman failing to regain his early-season form. Could the team be placing some of the blame on Ciano for this?
Another concern mentioned was tight end Dalton Kincaid’s need to get stronger to handle a full season. Perhaps the Bills feel that Ciano isn’t the right person to help Kincaid reach that level, or maybe they are simply seeking a new approach for all their players. Whatever the case, it’s clear that the Bills’ coaching staff is undergoing significant changes this offseason, even if the moves are smaller in nature.
