Coach Sean McDermott Reveals Offseason Plan: Buffalo Bills Will 'Turn Over Every Leaf' To Improve
With a fourth straight season ending in heartbreak in the playoffs for the Buffalo Bills, they're faced with the same grueling reality 31 other teams feel when their season is over.
They weren't good enough this season, and they have to improve in every facet if they hope to avoid the same feeling next year.
For the Bills, the impetus to do whatever it takes to surpass this plateau has to be as prevalent as it has ever been after being eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs for the third time in four years with a 27-24 loss in the AFC Divisional Round at Highmark Stadium. It also marks the third consecutive year Buffalo has been eliminated in the divisional round.
With the Bills' Super Bowl window closing with each playoff elimination, the pressure is there for them to make a big move that'll give them a better chance to get over the hump. Head coach Sean McDermott hinted that that'll be the case for Buffalo this offseason.
"We've got to continue to work at it," McDermott said. "That's where it starts. We'll turn over every leaf this offseason and I'm fully confident in this football team [and] fully confident in our staff. We were within a whisker of tying that game and maybe even taking the lead there against the defending world champs."
The Bills' path to making strides this offseason won't be a simple one though. They're projected to be $43.7 million over the cap and have several key players who are free agents this offseason, including receiver Gabe Davis, safety Micah Hyde and defensive ends Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa, among others.
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Things appear to be on rocky ground between Buffalo and Stefon Diggs, though moving on from him will put the team in an even more precarious situation with the team's cap space and ability to win now.
Whether it's being more aggressive in the draft or using draft picks to trade for proven veterans that can help Buffalo's chances of making a Super Bowl run, something needs to change. The Bills' Super Bowl window is rapidly closing, and they should be willing to do whatever it takes to finally get over the hump next season.