The Buffalo Bills may have gone a respectable 9-7 this past season, but their outlook going forward is nothing short of grim.
In continuing with the franchise's offensive trends of late, 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel has failed to develop into a beacon of hope at the quarterback situation while veteran journeyman Kyle Orton chose to retire rather than to return to Buffalo for a second season. Ouch.
Then head coach Doug Marrone fled the franchise like a Night's Watch deserter from "Game of Thrones." Sure, Rex Ryan is a nice replacement, but we can't forget that his last winning season was in 2010.
So, how do the Bills get back on track? ESPN's Andrew Healy thinks they should start by making the bold move of trading defensive tackle Marcell Dareus for a 2016 first-round pick.
"Nobody in recent years has shown better than the Bills that having a great defense is not enough in the NFL," Healy wrote. "The Bills had the 26th-ranked offense, continuing 15 years of offensive futility. The last time the Bills had a top-10 offense, Bill Clinton was president and Frank Wycheck was throwing laterals to Kevin Dyson. Since 1999, the Bills have had a top-10 defense in DVOA seven times, but haven't made a single playoff appearance.
"There's no mystery here: To get the offensive improvement they need to finally return to the playoffs, the Bills need a quarterback. After last year's Sammy Watkins trade, they are low on tickets to the quarterback lottery, having given up this year's first- and fourth-round picks in the deal. But trading Dareus for a 2016 draft pick rather than a 2015 one will get a higher selection in a draft that might be deeper on quarterback prospects."
Healy is right to point out that Dareus' trade value will never be higher. The 2011 first-round pick is coming off a career high 10-sack season. Buffalo finished first in the NFL in sacks (54) and fourth in yards allowed per game (312.2). But will Ryan really want to give up on his defensive centerpiece? Is he that desperate to avoid the same quarterback struggles he experienced while in New York?
We'll just have to wait for the offseason to unfold to find out.
