Rex Ryan, Doug Whaley will return to Buffalo Bills in 2016

Despite another disappointing season for the Buffalo Bills, Rex Ryan and Doug Whaley will be back in 2016.

The 2015 NFL season will once again end without a postsesaon appearance for Buffalo a streak that has been going on since 1999. Even then, they were on the wrong side of a miracle. When the Bills hired Rex Ryan in the offseason, he guaranteed a playoff appearance in his first season, but despite falling short of that mark both he and GM Doug Whaley will be returning to the team next year.

For a coach that is known for having a great defensive system, it was disappointing to see Buffalo’s Pro Bowl-filled defense finish 20th in the league in total yards. Star defensive tackle Marcell Dareus admitted the team “jumped the gun on [preseason hype].” Whaley did well to bring Tyrod Taylor to the team who, in his first year as a starting quarterback, put up respectable totals of 23 total touchdowns and 11 turnovers.

In a statement released by owner Terry Pegula, he said:

"As our first full season as owners of the Buffalo Bills draws to a close, management, coaches, players, and fans all feel that our expectations were not met.Kim (Pegula), (president) Russ (Brandon) and I look forward to working and collaborating with Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan in forming a winning future for the organization. Our management team and coaching staff are very capable and work well together. This stable foundation is necessary to achieve long-term success in the NFL."

Bringing Rex back as head coach makes a lot of sense. It will probably take the team more than a season to get adjusted to Ryan’s system and the team did show on its best days what they’re capable of. Of course, they remain a work in progress and we will need to see some progress in 2016 if Rex Ryan wants to keep his job beyond that.

It’s rare to fire a head coach — especially a big name coach like Ryan — to get canned after a year, but beyond that results will nee to be seen.