Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has claimed that the rest of the AFC East has closed the gap on the New England Patriots due to their activity in the free-agent market.
The Bills have added LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and quarterback Matt Cassel to their roster, while the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have signed All-Pro players Darrelle Revis and Ndamukong Suh respectively.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have been forced to allow players such as Revis to leave their team following their win in the Super Bowl, leading Ryan to believe that the division will be closer in the 2015 season.
"I feel pretty good about what we've added," Ryan told SportsNet 590. "I think the conference really got stronger. If anything, it currently doesn't look – if you can say winners and losers in free agency – obviously New England had to cut quite a few players.
"So obviously they don't look as strong as they did. I certainly hope they're not. They just got through winning the Super Bowl. But I believe the rest of the division really has got stronger. I don't think there's any doubt about that. I truly believe that we got stronger."
The Bills finished with a 9-7 record in the 2014 campaign under former head coach Doug Marrone.