Jim Schwartz will not stick around with the Buffalo Bills
By Evan Massey
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz doesn’t appear that he will be returning to the team with Rex Ryan taking over as the new head coach.
Jim Schwartz was a huge part of turning the Buffalo Bills’ defense around during the 2014 season, and that improved defense part of the reason that they finished 9-7 on the season and nearly made the playoffs.
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Buffalo finished third in the NFL defensively against the pass, and also ranked 11th against the ground game.
Doug Marrone was the Bills’ head coach this past season, but he stepped aside immediately following the season. He didn’t seem to have a good standing with Buffalo’s management, and he wasn’t happy with the direction that the team was heading. Buffalo immediately turned to former New York Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan when he became available, and they ended up landing their man.
Ryan is a great fit for the Bills now that they are moving back towards being a legitimate contender. Schwartz would make a lot of sense to stick around alongside of Ryan to put their defensive minds together, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
From what I'm hearing doesn't sound like Jim Schwartz is sticking as the Bills defensive coordinator. Rex Ryan still working on his staff
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 13, 2015
It will be very interesting to see what ends up happening with Schwartz, and what Ryan’s coaching staff looks like moving forward. Schwartz is a perfect coordinator for the talent that the Bills have on the defensive side of the football, but Ryan has been well-known for being a defensive minded coach himself.
All of that being said, the Bills are going to be looking to take the next step and get into the playoffs next season. Ryan will need to bring in a legitimate offensive coordinator to help take the Bills’ offense to the next level, especially with Kyle Orton retiring.
Schwartz isn’t going to be without a job for too long if the Bills do let him go, and he showed this past season that he can be an elite defensive coordinator.