Separately within the past three weeks, Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley and head coach Rex Ryan have told reporters that the team is - as expected - shifting back toward more of a 3-4 defensive alignment for the 2016 season.
Followers of the team had been expecting that transition for quite some time, and Whaley had said that the Bills would be using more of a "traditional 3-4" as far back as early March, before free agency had even begun. Ryan echoed the sentiment in interviews conducted earlier this week, although he was careful to note that his defense would not be labeled as any one thing.
Rex Ryan said the Bills will probably play more 3-4 and be more multiple, but that doesn't mean Dareus is strictly a nose tackle.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) March 22, 2016
What would Buffalo's current defensive personnel look like in a 3-4 base? We're glad you asked; this is, of course, just a projection.
| Pos. | Starter | Backup | Reserve |
| DL | Kyle Williams | Jerel Worthy | |
| NT | Marcell Dareus | T.J. Barnes | |
| DL | Corbin Bryant | Jarius Wynn | |
| ER | Jerry Hughes | IK Enemkpali |
Lavar Edwards Cedric Reed |
| MLB | Preston Brown | Kevin Reddick | |
| WLB | Tony Steward | A.J. Tarpley | |
| SLB | Manny Lawson | Randell Johnson | Max Valles |
To confirm another thing team followers already knew: the Bills have some serious work to do if they're going to build quality depth in their new-look front seven.