Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan will travel to Mobile, Alabama, early this week for the Senior Bowl, one of the first opportunities for NFL coaches and scouts to work first-hand with prospects for April's draft.
As he hops on a plane, Ryan can rest easier knowing that his Bills' coaching staff is nearly complete.
The team has yet to announce all of its hires and titles for next season, but few openings remain just a week after Ryan took the reins.
Here is an overview of each coaching spot:
Offensive coordinator: Greg Roman
Quick take: At this point, Roman won't be working with any of his former assistants from San Francisco. Instead, a group of Jets offensive coaches have migrated north with Ryan. How they mesh with Roman will be something to watch.
Quarterbacks: David Lee
Quick take: The Bills haven't announced Lee yet but he is expected to take the job with the Bills, according to multiple reports. He returns to Buffalo after serving as Bills' quarterbacks coach in 2012. Lee is known for bringing the "Wildcat" offense to the NFL, but his results with Geno Smith the past two seasons leave something to be desired.
Running backs: None
Quick take: Anthony Lynn, who served as Jets' running backs coach last season, will interview with the Cleveland Browns for their offensive coordinator vacancy. If he doesn't get the job, he could follow Ryan to Buffalo.
Wide receivers: Sanjay Lal
Quick take: Lal, a native of London believed to be the first NFL coach of Indian descent, served as Ryan's receivers coach the past three seasons. Like Lee, his results with the Jets' receivers (notably Stephen Hill, a 2012 second-round pick) don't exactly inspire confidence. However, Lal is known as a bright coach who will now have young talent (Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods) to coach up.
Tight ends: Tony Sparano, Jr.
Quick take: One of the youngest coaches on the Bills' new staff, Sparano now has his first position-coaching duties in the NFL. He spent the 2012 as an intern with the Jets and was promoted to a full-time offensive assistant this past season.
Offensive line: Aaron Kromer
Quick take: This is the Bills' only known outside coaching hire to this point. The Bills might never had hired Kromer if Mike Devlin, the Jets' offensive line coach last season, didn't take the same job with the Houston Texans shortly after Ryan was fired in New York. Kromer brings experience to the Bills' offensive staff but his comments about Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler last season put him in the news for the wrong reasons.
Defensive coordinator: Dennis Thurman
Quick take: This will be Thurman's third season as an NFL coordinator after a long playing career. He'll work closely with Ryan in running the defense.
Defensive line: Karl Dunbar
Quick take: Dunbar follows Ryan from the Jets, where like the Bills, their defensive line was one of the strengths of the team. Dunbar takes over for Pepper Johnson, who lost out on the New York Giants' defensive coordinator vacancy this week. Where Johnson lands now is unclear.
Assistant defensive line: Jeff Weeks
Quick take: A long-time college coach, Weeks joined the Bills in 2009 and assisted their defensive staff in a variety of roles. He takes over for Jason Rebrovich, who the Buffalo News reported will have a role working with outside linebackers.
Linebackers: Bobby April III
Quick take: One of the younger coaches on the staff, April joined the Jets in 2013 and was promoted to full-time linebackers coach this past season.
Defensive backs: Tim McDonald
Quick take: The six-time Pro Bowl cornerback played for the St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals, as well as the San Francisco 49ers. He joined the Jets in 2013 after Thurman was promoted to defensive coordinator.
Defensive backs: Donnie Henderson
Quick take: The Bills are retaining Henderson, a long-time NFL assistant who has done well with the Bills' secondary the past two seasons. It's unclear how he and McDonald will split duties in the defensive backfield; one could focus on safeties while the other handles cornerbacks.
Special teams coordinator: Danny Crossman
Quick take: Crossman, a close friend of Doug Marrone, is one of the few holdovers from Marrone's staff. The Bills' special teams saw across-the-board improvement last season, so Crossman is deserving to stick.
Special teams assistant: Eric Smith
Quick take: The former Jets safety (2006-12) gets his first full-time coaching gig after serving as an intern for Ryan last season.
