Coaching Carousel 2017: Which NFL Coaching Jobs Are Most Attractive?

​Buffalo Bills

2016 Offensive NEP per play: 11th
2016 Defensive NEP per play: 20th

Good riddance, Rex Ryan. The Buffalo Bills cut him loose after just two years on the job saw the supposed defensive mastermind take over the league’s second-best defense by Adjusted Defensive NEP per play in 2014 and run it straight into the ground, with subsequent 16th-place and 20th-place finishes in the analytic.

When something is supposed to be your strong suit, it shouldn’t keep getting worse whenever you tinker with it. This decline wasn’t for want of talent, either; a defensive front with Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, Jerry Hughes, Preston Brown, and Reggie Ragland is a notable force to be reckoned with. Add in three promising cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, and Nickell Robey-Coleman, plus top-notch safety Corey Graham, and you have all the pieces for success. They need direction, better schemes, and discipline.

Similarly, the offense has upside pieces galore: running back LeSean McCoy led this team to a second-place ranking in Adjusted Rushing NEP per play this season. Similarly, since Tyrod Taylor became the starting quarterback of the Bills in 2015, they have ranked 12th and 19th in Adjusted Passing NEP per play. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins just needs to stay healthy, and this offense needs to acquire more receiving talent to help him out. Do that, and this team goes from sad-sack and 1990’s punchline to a legitimate Wild Card contender.

Likely Candidates: The frontrunner for the job appears to be offensive coordinator/interim head coach Anthony Lynn, who has already proven to the players the discipline and respect that has been sorely missed from the top of the coaching staff over the last two years. Former Jacksonville head coach and Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will likely be his defensive coordinator.