There's Always Next Year: Buffalo Bills

NFL teams aren't always covered as fiercely as they are in, say, Philadelphia or Dallas, and for some teams, silence and solitude marks the offseason. That used to be the lot of the Bills, playing in the NFL's smallest market.

This offseason? The Bills are all over the place. Owner Terry Peligula told head coach Rex Ryan and general manger Doug Whatley that it's playoffs or bust, and the pressure is on. The Bills have big free-agent plans but, currently, not a lot of money to realize them.

Rex brought in his brother Rob as a defensive assistant, creating the buddy comedy you always knew was their destiny. Meanwhile, running back LeSean McCoy's nightclub altercation seems permanently stuck in the news cycle, and wide receiver Percy Harvin's contract has voided.

And so sleepy little Buffalo has gone full megaphone in the course of just one season. Say what you will about Rex Ryan, because everybody does.

Coach and Quarterback Confidence Rating: 6/10

I'm giving the Bills an extra point here for offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman did perhaps the best unsung job in the NFL by turning quarterback Tyrod Taylor into a consistent NFL starter.

Taylor is not your traditional high-variance quarterback. He's not a risky quarterback. There are not a lot of turnovers built into his game plan. At the same time, Taylor doesn't throw over the middle much at all. So on the one hand, you've got this scrambling mad bomber, but because he lacks a skill that most quarterbacks have—throwing over the middle—he's still prone to bogging down drives. It was fascinating to see Roman succeed with him last year. It'll be even more fascinating to see what they do with a full offseason together.

Rex Ryan is brash and smart. What we saw from him on defense last year doesn't fully reflect the breadth of how good of a coach he is, but with mounting evidence that his defense is no longer effective, he's running out of chances to fix things.

Key Offseason Decision: What the hell does a good Rex Ryan defense look like in 2016?

Despite having one of the consensus most talented front fours in the NFL in 2015, the Bills didn't get much pressure. They finished 31st in adjusted sack rate, ahead of only Atlanta. Yes, defensive tackle Kyle Williams missed some games, but that's an unfathomably bad result to get from that crew.

If Ryan can't get the most out of a unit that seems ready-made to sack the quarterback, his compromises must've made the coverage better, right? Well, the Bills dropped from second in defensive DVOA under Jim Schwartz in 2014 to 24th in 2015.

Rob Ryan is coming to help save the day, but he was fired by the Saints after fielding one of the worst defenses in modern NFL history.

All you ever hear from Rex, however, is how the players aren't fits. This was a major crater last year, and I have a hard time believing that it's all regression or players losing skill. There's not much money left to spend—can Ryan create this good defense on the cheap? Is every draft pick going to be spent on defense?

Major Free Agents: G Richie Incognito, T Cordy Glenn, OLB Nigel Bradham, DL Alex Carrington, WR Leonard Hankerson

Incognito and Glenn helped turn the Buffalo offensive line around last season. The unit was one of the worst in the NFL in 2014. Incognito came out of, well, incognito status after the bullying scandal in Miami. His year was fantastic. Glenn has been a solid left tackle and would be worth franchise tagging if the Bills can pull together the money to do so.

Bradham is a better fit elsewhere. Ryan didn't use him the same way that Schwartz did in 2014, Bradham's breakout year. Carrington is worthy of a roster spot, though he doesn't have the calling card that will make him stand out as a free agent.

The weird Leonard Hankerson waiver saga sent him from being the second-best Falcons receiver to New England to Buffalo. If the Bills aren't going to have Percy Harvin, they could do worse than bringing Hankerson back on the cheap.

Cap Situation: $209,715—last in the NFL

After an acrimonious season of not wanting to drop into coverage, edge rusher Mario Williams is the first cut here. The Bills will save $12.9 million by letting him go, and they will need every penny of it. As of right now, they don't even have enough money to sign a rookie pool.

Corner Stephon Gilmore had his fifth-year option exercised, but the Bills will want to work out an extension to lower his cap number from its current $11.08 million mark. Buffalo could save as much as $7 or $8 million for this season with a restructure.

There are some other tiny moves to save space. Corner Leodis McKelvin could be expendable for $3.9 million in savings. Corey Graham, their starting safety, would free up $3.375 million. If I were a Bills veteran with a release that'd create cap space, I wouldn't be holding my breath on coming back.

The Bills will have to strain to bring their two big offensive linemen back and sign a rookie class. That's not an enviable situation heading into a make-or-break season for Ryan and Whatley.