The Buffalo Bills unexpectedly lost Doug Marrone at head coach this offseason and the team may look at Rex Ryan, Adam Gase, Pep Hamilton, Jim Schwartz, Greg Roman and Kyle Shanahan as potential candidates and this comes as the team may lose running back CJ Spiller in free agency.
The Bills finished 9-7 this season and they now have to find a new head coach after Doug Marrone decided to opt out of his contract. According to ESPN.com, Marrone used a $4 million buyout in his deal that went into effect if the Bills changed owners, which happened this year. Marrone will make that money and it will not be offset if he gets another job and now the team has started to put together interviews and potential candidates.
Rex Ryan is interviewing with the Bills this week and he could be a strong option for the team after his time with the Jets. According to the NFL Network, Ryan will interview with the team on Thursday and it comes after he previously met with the 49ers, interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and also set up interviews with TV broadcasters. The Bills are going through an "exhaustive" search and they are in the double digits in candidates according to ESPN.
Ryan specializes on the defensive side of the ball and the Bills bring back a solid defense from last season despite missing the playoffs. Dan Quinn has been a candidate for a number of teams and he has met with the Bills, while Greg Roman, Kyle Shanahan and Pep Hamilton have also emerged as options. Mike Shanahan has also met with the team, but reports have him not satisfied with the quarterback situation in Buffalo. The Bills ended the season with two wins over the last three weeks, including an impressive game against the Packers.
The strong defense and solid offensive personnel could get a good coach to come into Buffalo, but right now it looks like names like Shanahan and Ryan will not be taking over due to the QB situation. Ryan reportedly is a bit skittish, as he dealt with a fluid QB situation in New York and that was part of his undoing with the Jets, who also had a strong defense.
The Bills finished the season with a winning record for the first time in a while and while they went 4-2 in the division, it was not good enough to make the playoffs. The QB situation could make it tough for the team to find a top head coach, as EJ Manuel has not developed into the player they had hoped. The team has Sammy Watkins and expects to bring back CJ Spiller and that gives the team some strong offensive options if they can work out a deal or draft a QB.
Last season the Bills were strong on defense, but the offense was a mess and ranked 25th in rushing yards per game. Spiller and Fred Jackson dealt with injuries, while Kyle Orton took over for Manuel and the team ranked 18th in the league in passing yards per game. The defense was much better, ranking third in passing yards allowed per game and 11th in rushing yards allowed per game. The team allowed just over 300 yards per game on defense this season.