It was 15 weeks ago. The day after the Bills ruined the Jets playoff hopes. The locker room in the ADPRO Sports Training Center was buzzing with Bills players packing up boxes, shipping out equipment, doing the requisite media interviews, and saying goodbye to the 2015 season.
Now they're back. Most of them anyway. The 2016 Buffalo Bills assemble for the first time Monday when they get together for Phase One of the voluntary offseason conditioning program.
This first phase, the first two weeks of the program, is limited to strength and conditioning for the players and rehab for those who were injured or underwent surgery. There's a limited opportunity to get the players in the meeting room as well.
Buffalo's Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman says the initial meetings start from the ground floor. It's a simple review of the schemes and strategies the team employed last year.
"We start over at square one," Roman says. "We've got a new tight end. He's got to learn from square one and there are some other players also. We assume everybody got away, got a break, and now it's time to start over again and set new goals."
"We'll meet for little bit over an hour this week," Roman says, "but the main thrust the first few weeks is getting them physically acclimated into our training protocol."
To date, there are 12 new faces on the Buffalo roster. Here's five facts to know about the 2016 roster as the Bills return to Orchard Park for voluntary conditioning:
1. 74 PLAYERS ON THE ROSTER NOW, WITH MORE TO COME
The Buffalo roster stands at 74. That leaves 16 spots for draft picks and undrafted rookie free agents who'll be added in the next couple of weeks.
The Bills have eight draft picks in the 2016 draft, with two in the fourth and two in the sixth (no draft picks in the seventh). So that means eight spots are available for undrafted free agents to make a bid for a roster spot. They'll be added within hours after the completion of the draft.
RELATED: Updated Bills 2016 roster
2. MOST NEW FACES – ON THE DEFENSE
The Bills have a dozen new faces on the roster right now who've been added since the season ended last January. Of that group, seven are on defense, including cornerbacks Javier Arenas, Corey White and Sterling Moore, safeties Robert Blanton and Colt Anderson, and linebackers Zach Brown and Lorenzo Alexander.
On offense, the newcomers are wide receivers Greg Little and Jarrett Boykin, running back James Wilder, Jr., offensive lineman Fernando Velasco, and tight end Jim Dray.
3. BIGGEST TURNOVER – SECONDARY
The Bills roster churn took its heaviest toll in the defensive backfield. When you add up the roster additions and the losses from the roster (released players and free agents who got away) the Bills have seven changes among the defensive backs.
There have been four changes among the linebacking corps, and four among wide receivers.
4. HEAVY AT DEFENSIVE BACK, LIGHT AT QUARTERBACK
The Bills go into the offseason program with 18 defensive backs, the most crowded spot on the roster. And they go into this week with just two quarterbacks on the roster, and a promise from GM Doug Whaley to add at least one more.
5. MOST EXPERIENCE – LINEBACKERS
They're not graybeards manning the linebacker position for the Bills. But the seven linebackers on the team have the most NFL experience based on average games played. Manny Lawson going into his 11th year (147 games played) and Lorenzo Alexander going into his 10th (127 games played).
On average, the Buffalo linebacker corps has played 57 games in the NFL. Running backs (an average of 48 NFL games) and defensive line (a 44 game average) are close behind.
The least experienced unit on the roster is quarterback. Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel average 25 NFL games played between them.
