2016 Buffalo Bills season

2016 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach Rex Ryan
General manager Doug Whaley
Owner Terry and Kim Pegula
Home field New Era Field
Results
Record 6–5
Division place 3rd AFC East
Uniform

The 2016 Buffalo Bills season is the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League, the 57th overall, the fourth under leadership of general manager Doug Whaley and the second under head coach Rex Ryan. The Bills will attempt to snap their 16-year playoff drought, which is the longest active drought among all four North American major professional sports leagues.

Offseason

Roster changes

Signings

Position Player 2015 Team Date signed Notes Source
RB Mike Gillislee Buffalo Bills January 4, 2016 1-year extension/$600,000 [1]
RB James Wilder, Jr. Cincinnati Bengals January 20, 2016 1 year/$525,000 (Reserve/Future) [2]
RB Reggie Bush San Francisco 49ers August 1, 2016 1 year/$3 million [3]
TE Jim Dray Cleveland Browns March 16, 2016 1 year/$760,000 [4]
WR Greg Salas Buffalo Bills January 4, 2016 1-year extension/$600,000 [1]
WR Leonard Hankerson Buffalo Bills April 4, 2016 1 year/$840,000 [5]
WR Kain Colter Minnesota Vikings August 1, 2016 1 year/$450,000 [6]
OG Richie Incognito Buffalo Bills March 8, 2016 3-year extension/$15.75 million [7]
OG Fernando Velasco Carolina Panthers April 7, 2016 1 year/$965,000 [8]
OT Jordan Mills Buffalo Bills March 30, 2016 1 year tender/$1.67 million [9]
OT Chris Martin Miami Dolphins June 13, 2016 1 year/$525,000 [10]
OT Cordy Glenn Buffalo Bills May 3, 2016 5-year extension/$65 million [11]
OT Justin Renfrow San Francisco 49ers June 17, 2016 1 year/$450,000 [12]
DT Corbin Bryant Buffalo Bills March 7, 2016 1 year tender/$1.67 million [13]
DT Casey Walker Dallas Cowboys July 30, 2016 1 year/$525,000 [14]
LB Zach Brown Tennessee Titans April 4, 2016 1 year/$1.25 million [15]
LB Lorenzo Alexander Oakland Raiders April 13, 2016 1 year/$885,000 [16]
CB Mario Butler Buffalo Bills January 4, 2016 1-year extension/$600,000 [1]
CB/KR Javier Arenas New York Jets February 3, 2016 1 year/$600,000 (Reserve/Future) [17]
CB Corey White Arizona Cardinals April 4, 2016 1 year/$840,000 [15]
CB Sterling Moore Tampa Bay Buccaneers April 5, 2016 1 year/$840,000 [18]
SS Robert Blanton Minnesota Vikings March 18, 2016 1 year/$840,000 [19]
SS Colt Anderson Indianapolis Colts April 13, 2016 1 year/$840,000 [16]
P Colton Schmidt Buffalo Bills January 4, 2016 1-year extension/$600,000 [1]
WR Percy Harvin Buffalo Bills November 1, 2016

Free agents lost

Position Player 2016 Team Date signed Notes Source
WR Chris Hogan New England Patriots March 11, 2016 3 years/$12 million [20]
DT Stefan Charles Detroit Lions March 10, 2016 1 year/$1.75 million [21]
LB Nigel Bradham Philadelphia Eagles March 9, 2016 2 years/$7 million [22]
CB Ron Brooks Philadelphia Eagles March 9, 2016 3 years/$5.5 million [22]
CB Leodis Mckelvin Philadelphia Eagles March 10, 2016 3 years/$9 million

Cuts

Position Player Date Source
RB Boobie Dixon March 1, 2016 [23]
WR Davonte Allen August 1, 2016 [24]
TE MarQueis Gray March 1, 2016 [23]
TE Jacob Maxwell April 29, 2016 [25]
T Tyson Chandler April 15, 2016 [26]
T Keith Lumpkin June 13, 2016 [10]
G Kraig Urbik March 1, 2016 [23]
C Ronald Patrick May 2, 2016 [27]
DE Mario Williams March 1, 2016 [23]
DE Cedric Reed July 30, 2016 [14]
DE Claudell Louis June 13, 2016 [10]
DE Jarius Wynn May 2, 2016 [27]
LB Tony Steward April 19, 2016 [28]
CB Leodis McKelvin March 4, 2016 [29]
CB Cam Thomas April 18, 2016 [30]
CB Julian Whigham June 9, 2016 [31]
CB Merrill Noel May 2, 2016 [27]
S Phillip Thomas June 17, 2016 [12]
K Marshall Morgan August 1, 2016 [24]

Retirements

Position Player Date
LB A.J. Tarpley April 6, 2016

Draft

Main article: 2016 NFL draft
2016 Buffalo Bills draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 19 Shaq Lawson  DE Clemson
2 41 Reggie Ragland  LB Alabama Pick from CHI
3 80 Adolphus Washington  DT Ohio St
4 139 Cardale Jones  QB Ohio St Compensatory
5 156 Jonathan Williams  RB Arkansas
6 192 Kolby Listenbee  WR TCU
6 218 Kevon Seymour  CB USC Compensatory
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
Notes

Undrafted free agents

All undrafted free agents were signed after the 2016 NFL draft concluded on April 30 unless otherwise noted.

Position Player College Notes
QB Joe Licata Buffalo Tryout basis. Signed with Cincinnati Bengals before training camp.
FB Glenn Gronkowski Kansas State Brother of Chris, Dan and Rob Gronkowski. Signed with New England Patriots after training camp to reunite with his brother Rob.
WR Davonte Allen Marshall
WR Garry Chambers Arizona State
OT Keith Lumpkin Rutgers
OG Jamison Lalk Iowa State
OG Marquis Lucas WVU
C Robert Kuglar Purdue
DT Justin Zimmer Ferris
DE Bryson Albright Miami
LB Eric Striker Oklahoma
CB Julian Whigham Syracuse
LS Reid Ferguson LSU
K Marshall Morgan Georgia

Staff

On January 10, 2016, one week after the 2015 season ended, Doug Whaley signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Bills general manager. That same day, it was announced that Ryan had hired his twin brother, Rob, to the Bills coaching staff to serve as an assistant head coach and will also work with the defense. Three days later, Ryan hired former NFL standout Ed Reed to be an assistant defensive backs coach. On January 20, 2016, the Bills promoted Kathryn Smith to special teams quality control coach, making her the first female full-time coach in NFL history. On September 16, 2016, less than 24 hours after losing 37-31 to the Jets in their home opener in a game in which the defense cost the team the game, Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and promoted running backs coach Anthony Lynn to the position.[32]

Buffalo Bills staff
Front Office
  • Owner/CEO – Terry Pegula
  • Owner – Kim Pegula
  • President – Russ Brandon
  • General Manager – Doug Whaley
  • Senior Vice President of Football Administration – Jim Overdorf
  • Director of Football Administration - Don Purdy
  • Director of Football Operations - Kevin Meganck
  • Director of Analytics - Michael Lyons
  • Director of Player Personnel – Jim Monos
  • Player Personnel Advisor – Kelvin Fisher
  • Director of Pro Personnel - Rob Hanrahan
  • Special Assistant - Ron Hughes
  • Special Assistant - Buddy Nix
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
  
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
  • Head Strength and Conditioning – Eric Ciano
  • Assistant Head Strength and Conditioning – Hal Luther
  • Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Jason Oszvart
  • Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Dan Liburd
  • Strength and Conditioning Assistant - Mark Loecher

→ Coaching Staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
OAK
SD
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LA
SF
SEA

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site TV NFL.com recap
1 August 13 Indianapolis Colts L 18-19 0-1 Ralph Wilson Stadium WKBW Recap
2 August 20 New York Giants W 21-0 1-1 New Era Field WKBW Recap
3 August 26 at Washington Redskins L 16-21 1-2 FedEx Field WKBW Recap
4 September 1 at Detroit Lions L 0-31 1-3 Ford Field WKBW Recap

Regular season

Week Date Kickoff (ET) Opponent Result Record Game site TV NFL.com
recap
1 September 11 1:00 p.m. at Baltimore Ravens L 7–13 0–1 M&T Bank Stadium CBS Recap
2 September 15 8:25 p.m. New York Jets L 31–37 0–2 New Era Field CBS/NFLN/Twitter Recap
3 September 25 1:00 p.m. Arizona Cardinals W 33–18 1–2 New Era Field Fox Recap
4 October 2 1:00 p.m. at New England Patriots W 16–0 2–2 Gillette Stadium CBS Recap
5 October 9 4:25 p.m. at Los Angeles Rams W 30–19 3–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum CBS Recap
6 October 16 1:00 p.m. San Francisco 49ers W 45–16 4–2 New Era Field Fox Recap
7 October 23 1:00 p.m. at Miami Dolphins L 25–28 4–3 Hard Rock Stadium CBS Recap
8 October 30 1:00 p.m. New England Patriots L 25–41 4–4 New Era Field CBS Recap
9 November 7 8:30 p.m. at Seattle Seahawks L 25–31 4–5 CenturyLink Field ESPN Recap
10 Bye
11 November 20 1:00 p.m. at Cincinnati Bengals W 16–12 5–5 Paul Brown Stadium Fox Recap
12 November 27 1:00 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars W 28–21 6–5 New Era Field CBS Recap
13 December 4 4:05 p.m. at Oakland Raiders Oakland Alameda Coliseum CBS
14 December 11 1:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Steelers New Era Field CBS
15 December 18 1:00 p.m. Cleveland Browns New Era Field CBS
16 December 24 1:00 p.m. Miami Dolphins New Era Field CBS
17 January 1 1:00 p.m. at New York Jets MetLife Stadium CBS
Notes

Game summaries

Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

Week One: Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens
1 2 34Total
Bills 0 7 007
Ravens 3 7 0313

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

Week Two: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34Total
Jets 6 14 71037
Bills 7 3 14731

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

The Bills saw the return of their red Color Rush uniforms from 2015 in this game. With the loss, the Bills dropped to 0-2 and head coach Rex Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman, promoting running backs coach Anthony Lynn to offensive coordinator the next day.

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Three: Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 7 6518
Bills 10 7 13333

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

With the win, the Bills improve to 1-2 in Lynn's first game as offensive coordinator.

Week 4: at New England Patriots

Week Four: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
1 2 34Total
Bills 7 6 3016
Patriots 0 0 000

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Bills improve to 2-2 while Ryan gets his first-ever victory at Gillette Stadium (he was 0-7 as head coach entering game, including six straight losses as New York Jets head coach).

Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Five: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
1 2 34Total
Bills 7 9 7730
Rams 3 10 3319

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

With the win, the Bills improve to 3-2 and their first three-game winning streak since 2011 (the team started that season 3-0).

Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Six: San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34Total
49ers 3 10 0316
Bills 7 10 72145

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

With the win, the Bills improve to 4-2 and their first four-game winning streak since 2008 (team started that season 4-0 in Dick Jauron's last full season as head coach).

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

Week Seven: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
1 2 34Total
Bills 3 7 7825
Dolphins 3 3 81428

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 1:00pm EDT
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), partly sunny
  • Game attendance: 65,658
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, Adam Archuleta and Kevin Manuel
  • Recap, Gamebook

Week 8: vs. New England Patriots

Week Eight: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34Total
Patriots 14 10 14341
Bills 3 7 7825

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 1:00pm EDT
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 70,442
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook

Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Nine: Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks
1 2 34Total
Bills 14 3 0825
Seahawks 7 21 0331

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Eleven: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
1 2 34Total
Bills 7 3 3316
Bengals 6 6 0012

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

With the win, the Bills improve to 5-5, but it came at a price when Bills running back LeSean McCoy, wide receiver Robert Woods and safety Robert Blanton left the game with injuries.

Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Twelve: Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34Total
Jaguars 7 0 7721
Bills 0 6 14828

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

Week Thirteen: Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders
1 2 34Total
Bills 0 0 000
Raiders 0 0 000

at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 4:05pm ET/1:05pm PT
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Preview

Standings

Division

AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
New England Patriots 9 2 0 .818 3–1 7–1 293 197 W2
Miami Dolphins 7 4 0 .636 2–1 5–3 249 240 W6
Buffalo Bills 6 5 0 .545 1–3 3–4 281 236 W2
New York Jets 3 8 0 .273 1–2 3–5 196 265 L3

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] New England Patriots East 9 2 0 .818 3–1 7–1 .414 .370 W2
2[lower-alpha 1] Oakland Raiders West 9 2 0 .818 2–1 6–1 .508 .470 W5
3[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] Baltimore Ravens North 6 5 0 .545 4–0 6–2 .439 .257 W1
4[lower-alpha 2] Houston Texans South 6 5 0 .545 3–0 4–3 .541 .448 L1
Wild Cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 8 3 0 .727 3–0 6–2 .479 .455 W1
6[lower-alpha 4] Miami Dolphins East 7 4 0 .636 2–1 5–3 .415 .321 W6
In the Hunt
7[lower-alpha 4] Denver Broncos West 7 4 0 .636 1–3 4–3 .525 .448 L1
8[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 5] Pittsburgh Steelers North 6 5 0 .545 2–1 5–3 .521 .388 W2
9[lower-alpha 5] Buffalo Bills East 6 5 0 .545 1–3 3–4 .467 .364 W2
10 Tennessee Titans South 6 6 0 .500 1–3 3–5 .439 .333 W1
11[lower-alpha 6] Indianapolis Colts South 5 6 0 .455 2–2 3–5 .484 .411 L1
12[lower-alpha 6] San Diego Chargers West 5 6 0 .455 1–3 4–5 .566 .500 W1
13 Cincinnati Bengals North 3 7 1 .350 1–2 3–5 .561 .294 L2
14 New York Jets East 3 8 0 .273 1–2 3–5 .504 .353 L3
15 Jacksonville Jaguars South 2 9 0 .182 1–2 1–7 .529 .318 L6
Eliminated from postseason contention
16 Cleveland Browns North 0 12 0 .000 0–4 0–8 .576 .000 L12
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 New England wins tie break over Oakland based on best win percentage in conference games.
  2. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Houston based on best win percentage in conference games.
  3. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head win percentage.
  4. 1 2 Miami wins tie break over Denver based on best win percentage in conference games.
  5. 1 2 Pittsburgh wins tie break over Buffalo based on best win percentage in conference games.
  6. 1 2 Indianapolis wins tie break over San Diego based on head-to-head win percentage.
  7. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

Current roster

Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics
Roster updated December 3, 2016
Depth Chart • Transactions
53 Active, 14 Inactive, 11 Practice Squad

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
OAK
SD
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LA
SF
SEA

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Chris (2016-01-04). "Bills sign four players to extensions". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  2. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-01-20). "RB James Wilder Jr. signed by the Bills". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  3. ↑ Orr, Conor (2016-08-01). "Buffalo Bills sign Reggie Bush to one-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  4. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-03-16). "Bills sign free agent TE Jim Dray". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  5. ↑ "Bills re-sign WR Leonard Hankerson". Buffalo Bills. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  6. ↑ "Bills sign WR Kain Colter". Buffalo Bills. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  7. ↑ Rodak, Mike (2016-03-08). "Richie Incognito will be back with Bills in 2016". ESPN. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  8. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-04-07). "Bills sign C-G Fernando Velasco". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  9. ↑ Jackson, Zac (2016-03-30). "OT Mills signs tender with Bills". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  10. 1 2 3 Brown, Chris (2016-06-13). "Bills sign DL Douzable, OT Martin". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  11. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (2016-05-03). "Glenn, Bills agree to 5-year deal worth up to $65M". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  12. 1 2 Brown, Chris (2016-06-17). "Tryout player Renfrow signs with Bills". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  13. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-03-07). "Bills tender contracts for three restricted free agents". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  14. 1 2 "Bills sign DT Casey Walker". Buffalo Bills. 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  15. 1 2 Brown, Chris (2016-04-04). "LB Zach Brown, CB Corey White sign with Bills". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  16. 1 2 Brown, Chris (2016-04-12). "LB Alexander, S Anderson agree to terms with Bills". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  17. ↑ "Bills sign CB/KR Javier Arenas". Buffalo Bills. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  18. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-04-05). "Bills sign free agent CB Sterling Moore". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  19. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-03-18). "Bills sign S Robert Blanton". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  20. ↑ Sessler, Marc (2016-03-11). "Chris Hogan signs offer sheet with Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  21. ↑ "Lions sign free agent DT Stefan Charles". Detroit Lions. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  22. 1 2 Bradham, Michael (2016-03-09). "Eagles sign ex-Bills Nigel Bradham, Ron Brooks". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Alper, Josh (2016-03-01). "Boobie Dixon says his "time is up" in Buffalo". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  24. 1 2 Jackson, Zac (2016-08-01). "Bills add a wide receiver, cut down to one kicker". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  25. ↑ "Bills release linebacker AJ Tarpley, tight end Jacob Maxwell". www.bostonherald.com. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  26. ↑ "Bills release offensive lineman Tyson Chandler". Buffalo Bills. 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  27. 1 2 3 "Bills release three veterans". Buffalo Bills. 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  28. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-04-19). "Bills release LB Tony Steward". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  29. ↑ Brown, Chris (2016-03-04). "Bills release CB Leodis McKelvin". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  30. ↑ Jackson, Zac (2016-04-18). "Bills release DB Cam Thomas". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  31. ↑ Hunter, Jeff (2016-06-09). "Buffalo Bills bring back RB Boom Herron". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  32. ↑ "Bills hire Kathryn Smith, first full-time female coach". NFL.com.

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