Buffalo Bills Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching/GM Notes, Pt. 2: Arians, Gase, Wolf

January 1st, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Rory Parks

Here is Part 2 of our coaching/GM rumors post. Part 1 can be found here.

Despite his health concerns, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians expects to return in 2017, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Schefter tweets that one of Arians’ top assistants, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, is expected to interview for a head coaching job with the Rams, Jaguars, and Bills.
As the 49ers get prepared to search for a new head coach and GM, a ghost from the past has reared its ugly head. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter), San Francisco was prepared to hire current Dolphins head coach Adam Gase two years ago. The team informed Gase that he was the choice, but GM Trent Baalke intervened at the last moment and convinced ownership not to hire Gase. The 49ers chose Jim Tomsula instead, and it has been all downhill from there.
The Packers are not expected to make major coaching changes–although offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett could get head coaching interviews–but GM Ted Thompson could step aside and become a senior scouting adviser, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. One reason, according to Rapoport, is that Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf is a highly-coveted football mind, and if he’s not promoted soon, Green Bay could lose him.
The Bengals are not expected to fire Marvin Lewis, who is signed through 2017, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. However, Lewis is not expected to get another one-year extension this offseason, which means that another disappointing campaign in 2017 could spell the end of his tenure as Cincinnati’s head coach.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles will likely be back for a third season, but offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is expected to be fired, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
The Ravens are expected to part ways with OC Marty Mornhinweg, and assuming they do, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Greg Roman is someone to “keep an eye on.”
Browns coaches have “deep concerns” with the direction of the team’s personnel department and are expected to push owner Jimmy Haslam for changes in that regard, according to La Canfora. While head coach Hue Jackson is not planning to request the removal of top football man Sashi Brown, the coaching staff would like a proven, old-school talent evaluator involved in player selection to provide something of a checks-and-balance system to Brown’s analytics-based approach.
La Canfora suggests that, if the Lions miss the playoffs this season, GM Bob Quinn could at least think about a coaching change, and his Patriots ties could lead him to consider Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia, with whom he established strong relationships during his time in New England. While I personally could imagine Quinn’s being interested in McDaniels, I cannot see Patricia as a legitimate head coaching candidate at this point.

Anthony Lynn “Virtual Lock” To Be Bills HC

January 1st, 2017 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 09:27am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports goes one step farther than Carucci, reporting that Lynn is a “virtual lock” to be named the Bills’ head coach on a permanent basis. The Bills are, however, expected to interview Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin for the job, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak (citing ESPN colleague Adam Schefter). Schefter tweets that former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is expected to serve as Lynn’s defensive coordinator wherever Lynn becomes a head coach. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Bills’ top job is Lynn’s to lose, and he adds Frank Reich and Teryl Austin as possible alternative candidates.

WEDNESDAY, 10:09am: Anthony Lynn will hold down the fort as interim head coach in the Bills’ final regular season game. From the sound of it, he could already be in the lead for the real title this offseason. “There’s every indication” the Bills are settled on sticking with Lynn beyond the interim status he has for Sunday, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes.

Carucci doesn’t expect the Bills to conduct a real, thorough search because they already have Lynn in mind as their guy. Furthermore, GM Doug Whaley is leading the search process and he will not want to hire any coach who would want control over the 53-man roster. In Lynn, he has a built-in ally who will allow him to assemble the team as he sees fit.

If Whaley is not willing to cede roster control, then that would likely rule out big-name candidates like Tom Coughlin, Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, and Jim Schwartz. Even former Bills quarterback and current Eagles OC Frank Reich would probably object. There may be some head coaching candidates who are willing to let Whaley do his thing, but it won’t be any of the splashy names.

LeSean McCoy Discusses Rex Ryan Era

December 30th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins opined Thursday that the team needs to “change the culture” in the wake of Rex Ryan‘s firing. Another high-profile Bill, running back LeSean McCoy, shared a similar sentiment Friday. “I think the discipline has been an issue,” McCoy told reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “Players just [need to take] accountability for their own actions. … I just think as players, as professionals, we need to step up and play accountable. That’s the biggest issue.” McCoy added that “the coaches have to be hard on us” and “yell at us,” and revealed that players often had difficulty understanding their on-field assignments under Ryan. Similarly, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said Tuesday that Ryan’s scheme may have been too complicated. It’s worth noting, of course, that Watkins, McCoy and Dareus are likely the Bills’ three best players.

Tyrod Taylor Could Need Core Muscle Surgery

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor‘s previously reported groin injury could be serious enough to require core muscle surgery, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Taylor will visit Dr. William Myers in Philadelphia after the season ends to determine whether to go under the knife. If he does, recovery time would likely be in the six-week range (link via Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com).

Citing business reasons, the Bills decided Tuesday that they’ll sit Taylor for Sunday’s season finale against the Jets. If Taylor were to play and suffer a severe injury, Buffalo wouldn’t be able to escape the $30.75MM in guarantees remaining on his contract. Taylor’s current issue is unlikely pose a problem for the Bills, per Rapoport, who notes that the 27-year-old should be able to pass a physical by the March 9 deadline for the team to walk away from his contract.

Even if the Bills do opt out of the extension they awarded Taylor last August, the two sides could still work out a different deal during the offseason. Taylor said Thursday he isn’t looking to leave the Bills despite having to cede the starting role to EJ Manuel on Sunday. Manuel was a first-round pick in 2013, but his ineffectiveness over the first couple years of his career helped lead the Bills to sign Taylor as a free agent in March 2015.

During his two years in Buffalo, Taylor has started in all 29 of his appearances, completed 62.6 percent of passes and thrown 37 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The former Baltimore backup has been a bigger weapon on the ground, having rushed for 1,148 yards (5.8 per carry) and 11 scores with the Bills, and should be able parlay his dual-threat abilities into a No. 1 role somewhere in 2017.

Anonymous Bill: Rex Ryan's Firing "Music To My Ears"

December 29th, 2016 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Rex Ryan was a beloved players’ coach with the Jets from 2009-14, but it doesn’t seem that was fully the case during his nearly two-year run in Buffalo. Reacting to the Bills’ Tuesday decision to fire Ryan, one defensive player informed Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, “That was music to my ears.” Similarly, some other Bills never bought into Ryan and felt he tore down the elite defense he inherited in 2015, according to Dunne (Twitter links). On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Sammy Watkins told the team’s official website that a “culture change” will be in order with Ryan’s successor. “Change the culture, change the mindset and get players on board,” he said. “If they’re not listening, cut them, kick them out, whatever. Sit them on the bench. I think that will help us move forward.”

Tyrod Taylor Not Looking To Leave Bills

December 29th, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Tyrod Taylor will be benched for the Bills’ season finale in an effort to protect him from injury and protect the team from being saddled with his guaranteed salary for 2017. It doesn’t seem like Taylor is too pleased about what is going on in Buffalo, but he tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) that he isn’t looking to leave the team in the wake of the surprising decision.

The Bills effectively hold an option on Taylor that would kickstart a new five-year deal worth more than $80MM. Now that advocate Rex Ryan has been fired and E.J. Manuel is starting ahead of him, it seems unlikely the Bills will exercise that clause. Still, in theory, Taylor could circle back to the Bills for a lesser deal. GM Doug Whaley may have other things in mind, but Taylor wants to keep all options open.

Meanwhile, for the past month, Taylor has been fighting through a severe groin injury that could need more attention in the offseason (Twitter link). If that means surgery for Taylor, that will be a situation to watch as he heads towards free agency.

Bills Notes: Lynn, Whaley, Tyrod, Rex

December 28th, 2016 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The decision to shelve Tyrod Taylor for the Bills’ Week 17 game against the Jets did not involve interim coach Anthony Lynn, creating an interesting situation for Sunday.

Lynn said today, via Joe WKBW’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter), he was not in the room when the decision was made to start EJ Manuel over Taylor, the team’s starter throughout the Rex Ryan era and obviously Lynn’s tenure as a major decision-maker on the team. Promoted to OC in September, Lynn has emerged as a head-coaching candidate but won’t have a choice as to who he starts at quarterback in what could be his only instance as the Bills’ HC. However, the Bills may be leaning toward keeping the former longtime running backs coach as their next sideline boss.

Taylor has played in each of the games during Lynn’s OC run, with Manuel’s last significant stretch of work coming under Greg Roman‘s offensive guidance midway through last season. The decision came down from ownership since the Bills do not want to risk injury to Taylor as a decision on whether or not to pick up his option — one tying the run-centric quarterback to the team long-term — looms after the season.

Here’s more from western New York.

Doug Whaley having the chance to pick a third Bills head coach strikes ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak as strange since it sends a message the new coach will not have control of the team’s 53-man roster and thus would have to agree to work with Whaley. But Rodak points out this could be an attempt by owners Terry and Kim Pegula to give Whaley one more chance to prove his worth since this next hire not working out — which basically means a playoff berth for north American professional sports’ most postseason-starved franchise — would lead the organization to move on from the GM.
Ryan previously said the Bills would be his last coaching job, but the former Jets leader did not count on a two-year run in Buffalo. A close friend of the Ryans does not believe Rex Ryan will settle for a TV job for good, insisting the 54-year-old coach will want another chance — even in college — to lead a team again, Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com writes.
The Bills made Ryan the scapegoat for the 17-year playoff drought, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes, believing the decision is a premature one indicative of a directionless franchise. Mehta also notes Whaley wanted to hire Hue Jackson before the Pegulas set their sights on Ryan.
If Taylor wants to remain in Buffalo, he will likely have to renegotiate the contract he signed in August, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap writes. Believing most teams would see Taylor as a high-end backup ($7-$9MM per year), Fitzgerald points out part of Ryan’s downfall in Buffalo could be his infatuation with Taylor’s athletic skill set by referencing to the coach’s desire to sign Michael Vick, trade for Tim Tebow and his coveting of Colin Kaepernick while with the Jets.

Fallout From Rex Ryan’s Firing

December 27th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills are on the hunt for a new head coach after firing Rex Ryan on Tuesday, but the presence of general manager Doug Whaley is likely to limit their options, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With Whaley entrenched atop the Bills’ front office, head coaching candidates who want significant say in roster construction might be less inclined to take the job.

That could include longtime NFL head coach Tom Coughlin, with whom the Bills spoke last offseason about a front office role before he took a position with the league. Coughlin is now a possibility to end up back in Jacksonville – where he coached from 1995-2002 – but Bills owner Terry Pegula is interested in tabbing the two-time Super Bowl winner to succeed Ryan, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is also high on the Bills’ list, reports Cole, who adds that the team would want to retain interim head coach Anthony Lynn as its offensive coordinator under either Coughlin or Austin.

Lynn entered the season as the Bills’ running backs coach, but they elevated him to O-coordinator after firing Greg Roman on the heels of an 0-2 start. Buffalo’s Lynn-led attack ranks first in the league in rushing, seventh in scoring, eighth in DVOA and 12th in total offense. Now, given his impressive work this season, it’s possible Lynn is actually the favorite to take over for Ryan on a permanent basis. Whaley “pushed” ownership to place the interim tag on Lynn, tweets the Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci, who wrote last week that Lynn could be primed to grab the reins going forward. Lynn garnered attention from head coach-needy franchises last winter and will again be on teams’ radars this offseason (the Rams are reportedly eyeing him), so the Bills could lose the 47-year-old if they don’t select him as Ryan’s replacement.

As for Ryan, his downfall in Buffalo was his inability to live up to his reputation as a defensive guru. The Bills had a top-tier defense in place when they hired him in advance of the 2015 campaign, but it was a below-average unit in each of his two years with the club. Ryan’s move last January to hire his twin brother, the now-fired Rob Ryan, to team with him and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman didn’t produce positive results. In fact, Bills players told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington that the Ryans lost the defensive portion of the locker room because there were “too many cooks in the kitchen” (Twitter link). Defensive end Leger Douzable took to Twitter to bash Buffalo’s decision to ax Rex Ryan, whom he also played under as a Jet, but star D-tackle Marcell Dareus doesn’t seem too broken up about the coaching change.

While Dareus told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he likes Ryan, the franchise’s highest-paid player explained that the defensive scheme “was just too much detail for a lot of guys, and I feel like for a lot of guys it was too much going on for them to check here and check there, if this happens and that happens. Then nine times out of 10, a team will throw something out there that we weren’t prepared for, and then the adjustment to it, we had to get use to and try to make it happen and make plays.”

The 26-year-old Dareus will be among a few marquee talents the Bills’ next coach inherits (running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Sammy Watkins are the others), though the environment “from top to bottom” is “toxic,” relays Carucci (Twitter link). Considering the Bills have gone a league-worst 17 years since their latest playoff trip, that’s not overly surprising.

Bills Confirm Doug Whaley Will Return As GM

December 27th, 2016 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Rex Ryan is out, but GM Doug Whaley isn’t going anywhere. The Bills announced that Whaley will “officially be leading the organization’s head coaching search,” a sure sign that he will not be fired.

Whaley has been in the Bills front office since 2010 and was elevated to the GM role before the 2013 season. Since then, the Bills have gone 30-33 under two different head coaches. Still searching for their first playoff berth in this century, team ownership apparently feels good about their situation from a personnel standpoint. Or, at least, the Pegulas believe they are on the right track.

In his four years at the helm, some of Whaley’s biggest missteps have included the aggressive draft trade for Sammy Watkins, the ill-advised extension for Marcell Dareus, and the team’s failure to identify a franchise quarterback. Whaley (and previous GM Buddy Nix) hoped that EJ Manuel would be the guy in Buffalo after making him the only quarterback selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, but he has yet to do anything at the pro level. As the Bills appear ready to move on from Tyrod Taylor, they’re re-installing Manuel as the starter for their final game of the season. The Bills are back at square one and no closer to figuring out their QB situation.

Bills To Bench Tyrod Taylor In Final Game

December 27th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

Rex Ryan is out and the quarterback that he championed could also be a goner in Buffalo. The Bills are planning to bench Tyrod Taylor against the Jets on Sunday in favor of E.J. Manuel, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). This is a business decision so the Bills are not at risk for the $30.75MM left on his contract that would become guaranteed if Taylor suffered a significant injury, Schefter adds.

The Bills are on high alert after watching Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr suffer major injuries in Week 16. The Bills are not going to take any chances with Taylor, a player who may not be in their plans for 2017. It’s not certain that Taylor is out of the picture, but it would be understandable if the Bills do not want to retain him at his current salary. This will also give Buffalo a chance to get one last look at Manuel, a pending free agent.

Initially, the Bills planned to give Taylor the final month of the season to audition himself.

“He’s got four more games to write this chapter. Then after this season, like everybody on the team, we’re going to do an evaluation and then we’ll go from there,” Whaley said on Dec. 9 in an interview where he declined to commit to Taylor for 2017.

It is somewhat surprising that rookie Cardale Jones will not be given the opportunity in Week 17. The Ohio State product may be No. 2 on the depth chart, however, if the team is truly intent on protecting Taylor from injury.

Buffalo Bills News & Rumors