by Rivers McCown
It would have surprised nobody who closely followed the Buffalo Bills last year if you told them in the offseason that their defense would improve in 2017. The team had more talent than it showed under Rex Ryan, who alienated his own edge rushers with his passive asks left and right. Before Ryan, Jim Schwartz had the Bills as a top-five defense by DVOA two years in a row in 2013 and 2014. And new head coach Sean McDermott had an above-average DVOA every year in Carolina outside of 2011.