Record: 8-8
Offense: 360.9 YPG (13th), 23.7 PPG (12th)
Defense: 356.4 YPG (19th), 22.4(15th)
The Bills struck gold with Tyrod Taylor at QB, who showed that he could potentially be the next great dual-threat QB in the NFL 1 day. Not only very productive as a runner rushing for over 500 yards, Tyler proved he can hang as a passer in this league, completing over 63% of his passes with a 20 TD to 6 INT ratio. The Bills shocked everyone by being 1 of the better offenses in the NFL after everyone thought that it would be the defense that had to carry them. The offense was actually the more effective unit. Speaking of the defense, they weren’t bad, but they definitely underachieved. Many thought coming into the season that, with defensive guru Rex Ryan now at the helm, the Bills were destined to be a top 5 defense. They ended up being a middle of the road unit that struggled to adjust to Ryan’s new scheme.
Offseason:
Key Acquisitions: LB. Zach Brown, CB. Sterling Moore
Key Loses: DE. Mario Williams, CB. Leodis McKelvin
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(19) | Shaq Lawson | DE | Clemson |
| 2(10) | Reggie Ragland | ILB | Alabama |
| 3(17) | Adolphus Washington | DT | Ohio State |
| 4(41) | Cardale Jones | QB | Ohio State |
| 5(17) | Jonathan Williams | RB | Arkansas |
| 6(17) | Kolby Listenbee | WR | TCU |
| 6(43) | Kevon Seymour | CB | USC |
Coaching Staff
HC: Rex Ryan
OC: Greg Roman
DC: Dennis Thurman
ST: Danny Crossman
Projected Depth Chart
Offense
QB. Tyrod Taylor, EJ Manuel
RB. LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams
FB. Jerome Felton
WR. Sammy Watkins, Marquise Goodwin
WR. Robert Woods, Greg Salas
WR. Leonard Hankerson
TE. Charles Clay, Jim Dray
LT. Cordy Glenn, Seantrel Henderson
LG. Richie Incognito, Ryan Groy
C. Eric Wood, Fernando Velasco
RG. John Miller, Cyril Richardson
RT. Jordan Mills, Cyrus Kouandijo
Defense
DE. Kyle Williams, Jerel Worthy
NT. Marcel Dareus, TJ Barnes
DE. Corbin Byrant, Adolphus Washington
OLB. Manny Lawson, Shaq Lawson
MLB. Preston Brown, Zach Brown
MLB. Reggie Ragland, Kevin Reddick
OLB. Jerry Hughes, Ik Enemkpali
CB. Stephen Gilmore, Sterling Moore
SS. Aaron Williams, Duke Williams
FS. Corey Graham, Robert Blanton
CB. Ronald Darby, Corey White
NB. Nickell Robey
Special Teams
K. Dan Carpenter
P. Colton Schmidt
Offense:
The Buffalo Bills have the potential to be an explosive offense. They have a lot of play makers that can make things happen. It all starts at the QB position, where dual-threat Tyrod Taylor is looking to build on the impressive season he had a year ago and become a legitimate star in 2016. He has all the tools to do it and the talent around him to support him. In the backfield, the Bills are loaded. We all know Lesean “Shady” McCoy is a stud and 1 of the most elusive backs we’ve ever seen play in the league. His backup, Karlos Williams, played very well in a reserve role, rushing for over 500 yards on over 5 yards per carry last season. There is not a lot of depth in the receiving corps, but the players at the top can play. Sammy Watkins is on the verge of becoming an elite receiver and Charles Clay is a very good receiving tight end. The Bills simply need for either Hankerson, Woods, or Goodwin to be more consistent and emerge as a reliable 3rd option. The Bills appear to have 1 of the most talented and deepest offensive lines in the NFL for the upcoming season. They have 2 studs in Richie Incognito at LG and Cordy Glenn at LT. Eric Wood is steady at center and guard John Miller should be a lot better in his 2nd year. If Jordan Mills can stay healthy this year and keep Henderson off the field, the Bills should have 1 of the best offensive lines for yet another year.
Defense:
Defensively, I expect Rex Ryan to get this defense going in the right direction. Up front, they need Marcel Dareus to return to his elite level of play and they need Kyle Williams to stay healthy. It remains to be seen who will emerge as the 3rd starter on that defensive line. Corbin Bryant is reportedly the favorite but 3rd-round pick Adolphis Washington could make a push for the job. Shaq Lawson, the team’s 1st-round pick, is going to miss the 1st half of the season but if he can get healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t take over for Manny Lawson at OLB who is an life-long underachiever. Jerry Hughes is the best edge rusher on the team and will start at the other OLB spot. In the middle, the Bills are looking for Preston Brown to step up and lead this defense. He’s got a ton of talent and can be 1 of the best players at his position 1 day. Beside him at the other inside spot will be the teams 2nd-round pick in this year’s draft, Reggie Ragland. The former Alabama thumper looks to bring his physical style of play to help the Bills run defense. The Bills have 1 of the best secondaries in the NFL. They are loaded at corner back with perhaps a top 3 tandem in Stephon Gilmore and 1 of the last year’s best rookies, Ronald Darby. Nikel Roby is also really good at nickel and they have Sterling Moore and Corey White, literally going 5 deep at corner. The move from corner to safety worked really well for Corey Graham last year and he’ll return to be the team’s FS again. Aaron Williams figures to be the starting SS, but he is coming off a season where he only played in 3 games and if he isn’t ready, Duke Williams and Robert Blanton are ready to step in. All the talent is there for Ryan to make this Bills defense legit.
