Buffalo Bills Off-Season Preview

Buffalo (7-9 No Playoffs)

Current Situation: Buffalo started off red hot at 5-1 beating up on a soft schedule, but the young roster couldn't overcome injuries and offensive inconsistencies and lost 8 of their last 10. Patience is slowly running out with coach Dick Jauron, who has finished 7-9 in all three seasons in Buffalo and was 0-6 against the AFC East in 2008. Buffalo has a really young team, but another 7-9 record will not be sufficient.

Advice:
- Buffalo has largely built their current roster through the draft, and should keep doing that. Chemistry is not an issue and they shouldn't risk upsetting that with a big free agent pickup.
- Buffalo absolutely needs pass rushers. DE should be the number one focus in the draft. Aaron Schobel is past his prime and consistently hurt, and there are no young projects or former high draft picks at DE on the roster.
- OLB Angelo Crowell needs to be resigned. He was a guy I had on my breakout watch list, but got hurt this past season. He has a chronic knee condition, which should scare teams away.
- If they keep Crowell, Buffalo has to decide whether it is worth paying RFA Keith Ellison.
- The Bills' TEs are not starting caliber in the NFL. With a strong, deep draft class, this should be an emphasis in rounds 2 & 3.
- They need to decide if FS Ko Simpson is the answer. If the right player falls to them, they should take a long look at that.
- J.P. Losman will likely be leaving in free agency. They should look to find a new backup QB, possibly a veteran who can mentor Trent Edwards.
- Depth on the O-Line, at RB and in the secondary should be addressed later in the draft