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So, what exactly do the Buffalo Bills have to do in the off-season to finally end their long playoff drought in 2016? General manager Doug Whaley has already said the team won’t be active in free agency this year, instead focusing on re-signing their own players who are eligible for free agency. Here are my suggestions for the positions they need to upgrade to reach the promised land:

Quarterback

In my opinion, the Bills can go into 2016 without worrying about who their starting QB will be. Tyrod Taylor showed enough this past season to have earned the job. The problem is the gaping void at backup quarterback. EJ Manuel is clearly headed out of town after not developing at all in his three seasons here, and Josh Johnson, an in-season free agent signing, is a journeyman who isn’t the answer either. Zac Dysert is on their practice squad and will get an opportunity, but Whaley needs to upgrade this position for sure. The best free agent option is probably Matt Moore, Ryan Tannehill’s backup in Miami. Since Whaley has stated he is unlikely to do any free agent shopping, however, the Bills may look for a backup option in the middle or late rounds of the draft. Possibilities there include Stanford’s Kevin Hogan, Christian Hackenberg of Penn State and a late round prospect, Jake Coker, signal caller for national champion Alabama.

Receiver

Some experts suggest the Bills need to draft a complementary receiver to play opposite Sammy Watkins and draw coverage away from their budding superstar, but as long as he’s healthy, Robert Woods is capable of filling that role. If the team feels the need to add some speed to their receiving corps, they might look to drafting a prospect like Pitt’s Tyler Boyd, who also would be a great addition to their return game and should be available in the second or third round. Whaley may have already addressed this position, having signed a couple of street free agents, Greg Little and Jarrett Boykin, a college teammate of Tyrod Taylor at Virginia Tech.

Offensive Line

Whaley’s top priority to strengthen the Bills’ chances of ending their playoff drought is to try to keep the offensive line intact, specifically the left side of the line. He needs to get guard Richie Incognito and tackle Cordy Glenn re-signed. If the team feels the need to pick up line depth in the later rounds of the draft, a couple of intriguing players are Indiana guard Dan Feeney and tackle Willie Beavers of Western Michigan.

Linebacker

This is a position the Bills need to address with a high pick in the draft. They are sorely lacking in playmaking linebackers, which are essential in Rex Ryan’s defense. Alabama’s Reggie Ragland and Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith are both projected first round picks. Ragland has been the pick many mock drafts have pegged as going to the Bills with their top choice, 19th overall. Smith suffered an injury in his season-ending bowl game and might be a risky pick, but he’s a top player. Second round possibilities include a pair of backers from Georgia, Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. In free agency, there’s a player available who has excelled in Ryan’s scheme – Calvin Pace. He would have to come at a low price for Buffalo to have the means to sign him however. One thing about today’s game – there is a lot of shading as far as positions when it comes to what constitutes a linebacker or a defensive end these days. Jerry Hughes, for instance, describes his position as a “hybrid”, part end and part outside backer. Mario Williams never seemed comfortable playing that role. The Bills may go after a player high in the draft that would be considered one of these types, an “edge rusher” if you will. Clemson’s Shaq Lawson and Alabama’s Jonathan Allen are possibilities if they go that route.

Safety

With Aaron Williams’ career in jeopardy due to a neck injury and Corey Graham’s declining play, this is also a position of need. If the Bills use their top pick on a safety, Clemson’s Jayron Kearse is the only top player at the position considered first round material who would be left at the 19th slot. In the second round, Ohio State’s Vonn Bell would be a good choice. San Diego safety Eric Weddle has seemingly worn out his welcome with the Chargers, and is a free agent. He is a very capable player who is also most likely out of the Bills’ price range, unless they decide to make some surprise roster cuts to free up more cap space.

Part 3 of my Buffalo Bills’ 2015 season review looks at the special teams and the unit that was, by far, the most disappointing facet of the team, the defense. Coach Rex Ryan, a supposed defensive guru, took a top ranked unit and turned it into a dumpster fire that struggled all year. Players openly complained about not understanding Ryan’s complicated scheme, and coordinator Dennis Thurman constantly was late sending in signals from the first game until the finale. Ryan hired his twin brother Rob as Assistant Head Coach/Defense to help clean up the mess in 2016. The special teams were anything but special also. Here’s the position-by-position look at the defense and special teams:

Defensive Line

For the past 2 years, this season review has been a carbon copy when it came to rating this unit. I’ve heaped praise on the front four starters especially, since they were the strength of the team. That wasn’t the case in 2015, as none of the four met expectations. Tackle Marcell Dareus and hybrid end Jerry Hughes had average seasons, but neither had the impact they did in previous years, under different coordinators. Kyle Williams, the other tackle, had his season shortened by injury, while end Mario Williams, a prize free agent when he was signed a few years ago, was a complete disappointment. He questioned coach Rex Ryan’s scheme and the way he was being used all season, and had teammates claiming he “totally checked out” and was a bad teammate. He will almost certainly not be back in 2016, due to his declining play and the fact that the team needs to lose his salary to get under the salary cap. It also makes no sense to keep four highly-paid linemen on the roster if Ryan’s base defense is going to use a three man line. Still, it’s a shame that Ryan did such a number, in a negative way, on a defense that was highly rated prior to his arrival. As for depth, a pair of veterans, Alex Carrington and Jarius Wynn, will be coming off injuries and will have to fight for their roster spots next year, against competition from some unproven newcomers who took their spots during the year – T.J. Barnes, Lavar Edwards and Jerel Worthy. Two other vets, Corbin Bryant and Stefan Charles, are solid backups. Bryant did a good job filling in for Kyle Williams while Charles was decent, although he didn’t make as many plays in limited playing time as he had in prior years.

Linebackers

This is going to be a position of great need for the Bills going into the off-season. Whereas the defensive line was the focal point of the club’s defense in previous seasons, Ryan’s scheme calls for playmaking linebackers to dominate play. The Bills currently have none of those on their roster. Inside backer Preston Brown, who relays the defensive signals from the coaches to the unit, was the closest thing the team had to a playmaker, but, like just about every other player on the defense, his play severely declined in 2015. Old reliable vet Manny Lawson was probably the most consistent of the backers (he is technically listed as an end on the roster) but he’s not the type of player you’re going to build a future dominating defense with. Nigel Bradham will be a free agent, and although he could develop into a solid starter, if he seeks a big payday I don’t feel he’s worth it. Sifting through the rest of the linebackers on the roster, there isn’t much to choose from. Of the three players who ended up on the injured reserve list, Ty Powell has the most promise, Tony Steward never got a chance to play much due to injury, and having had injury troubles coming out of college, he’ll need to show some semblance of durability to stick with the team. Randell Johnson wasn’t able to earn any playing time other than special teams despite the need for backers in 2015. Undrafted free agent A.J. Tarpley could have a future. He made some plays late in the year that will at least put him on the coaches’ radar going into 2016. Max Valles was a late signee who was brought in with an eye on next season, because he supposedly is a good fit for Ryan’s defense. The other remaining candidates are IK Enamkpali, who never showed much of anything, and Kevin Reddick.

Defensive Backs

Instead of the front four, cornerback now appears to be the strength of the Bills’ defense. Stephon Gilmore and second round draft steal Ronald Darby made up a terrific starting tandem. The Bills proved to have quite a bit of depth also, with veterans Ron Brooks, Nickell Robey, Mario Butler and Leodis McKelvin all contributing at points of the season. McKelvin’s contract situation points to his likely release, however, unless he agrees to take a pay cut. The club also has two players promoted from the practice squad late in the year who may get a shot next year – Bud Noel and Sammy Seamster. Safety is a position very much in flux going into the off-season. Aaron Williams has to show he can recover from a neck injury, no certain thing. Corey Graham played admirably but he may be hitting the veteran wall, as his play declined. (Or could he also be a victim of Ryan’s complicated scheme?) Bacarri Rambo got extensive playing time after Williams was hurt and showed playmaking ability, but needs to improve his consistency. Also, he’ll be a free agent. Two players drafted the same year, Duke Williams and Jonathan Meeks, played OK but neither looks like a long term answer to be a starter. There was some talk of moving McKelvin to safety, but he probably lacks the size to make the transition.

Special Teams

Bomb squad coach Danny Crossman is a holdover from Doug Marrone’s staff, and his job security is iffy after his teams suffered a huge decline, almost as bad as the defense. The coverage teams weren’t terrible, but contributed little to any wins. In the past, the Bills always had multiple players who were threats on kick returns, now there’s virtually nobody. McKelvin has too many ball security issues, Marcus Thigpen was so below average that he was cut twice, and Marquise Goodwin can’t stay healthy. By season’s end, Walter Powell, a free agent signed off the street, was handling return duties, and not showing a whole lot of promise. Kicker Dan Carpenter’s season was a forgettable one. He struggled mightily with the new longer extra point distance, and with the team needing to carry an extra kicker (Jordan Gay) just to handle kickoffs, his days could be numbered in Buffalo. The only bright spot among special teamers was punter Colton Schmidt, who was mostly solid all year but did have a couple of late season lapses.