One of the most frequently-requested features from me by readers of this blog is a defensive depth chart for the Buffalo Bills and their new-look 4-3 defense. Since it's Saturday, and there's not a whole heck of a lot else going on, let's take a look at one.

Please note that the depth chart - which is after the jump - is in no way official. It is purely my opinion, and it's structured less around being buried on the depth chart, and more about what position the player is best suited for. As an example: Alex Carrington appears on the depth chart as a fourth-team defensive tackle, but I've listed him at the "under tackle" position, where I believe he is a best fit in Dave Wannstedt's likely system.

If anyone has any questions about why I placed a player in his particular spot, feel free to ask. Three things that stuck out to me: the Sam linebacker spot is interesting; the team really needs to groom a guy behind Nick Barnett; and wow, is there a depth problem at safety. Last note: bolded names are impending free agents.

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Inside The Bills | Fan Friday 2-17
Chris Brown answers questions on Kirk Morrison, the switching of the defensive scheme again, Jairus Byrd in a 4-3, what current Bill could step into the defensive end position, drafting another defensive tackle, and Chan Gailey turning play-calling duties over to Curtis Modkins.

NFL.com news: Exit Interview: Buffalo must address depth this offseason
"With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual 'Exit Interviews,' a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward."

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I did a little question and answer session Friday morning on Twitter (you can follow me here), and one topic that comes up quite frequently in my inbox and these tweet sessions is the future of Fred Jackson. I don't believe the Buffalo Bills should extend his contract, and people disagree with me. The running back turns 31 on Monday.

Here's what history shows us: running backs break down after the age of 30. Just look at some of the top rushers from the early 2000s who had little success after their 30th birthdays. It's a list of superstars, MVPs, and Hall of Famers: Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis, Clinton Portis, and Jamal Lewis, just to name a few. Holmes was named All-Pro a few months after turning 30, and never started more than eight games in a season again. Bettis made a Pro Bowl at 32, but did it by starting only six games. That's it as far as league awards for that great crop of backs.

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Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt spoke at length with reporters on Thursday afternoon about the direction and philosophy of Buffalo's defense as it transitions back to a 4-3 look. The themes of the day? The front four and pressuring quarterbacks.

"For us to take a jump in the defense that we're going to run, the front four needs to make a difference," Wannstedt told Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com prior to the press conference. "They need to make an impact. So that would be the position. Our defensive line, as a group, they need to be a major, major factor, run and pass, every week after week after week, for this defense to work."

Because of the nature of the league, wherein the Bills play the majority of their snaps out of the sub-package, Wannstedt doesn't believe there will be a steep learning curve for the defense in moving to a four-man front.

"We played last year about 65 percent of our snaps in nickel personnel where we actually had four down guys in the game with their hand on the ground," Wannstedt told reporters. "Whether we had five defensive backs or six defensive backs it really didn’t matter. The point was that if you looked at us we were doing a lot of things that there’s carryover within the 4-3 scheme and most teams do that."

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Wannstedt seeking pass rushers and fast LBs - BuffaloBills.com
"Buffalo’s new defensive coordinator is far from having all the pieces in place for his defense. With free agency a month away, the NFL draft still two months away and a couple of their more important players coming off surgeries Dave Wannstedt still has a few balls up in the air. One thing he is sure of is the need for pass rushing defensive ends and fast moving linebackers."

AP Source: Bills exchanged offers with WR Johnson - Yahoo! Sports
"A person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday that the two sides exchanged offers over the past week, and plan to meet again at the NFL combine in Indianapolis next week. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because negotiations are not being made public."

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Rodney McKissic at The Buffalo News is reporting that the Buffalo Bills and the representatives for Stevie Johnson have exchanged contract proposals within the past week, and that negotiations could continue face-to-face at next week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

McKissic reports that C.J. LaBoy, Johnson's agent, submitted a counter-offer on Monday to a proposal that the team made more than a week ago today. The exchanged proposals are presumably the first the two sides have had since prior to the start of the 2011 regular season; the Bills tried to re-open negotiations after signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Johnson decided to wait until after the season.

As we mentioned earlier this week, the Bills have advantages in retaining Johnson's services - and that's without mentioning the franchise tag. Clearly, both sides would like to get a long-term deal reached, however, as the franchise tag isn't the best option for either side. It appears that progress is being made toward that end.

I have been blogging here about the Buffalo Bills for five years. That's a long time to do anything. In my time doing this, I have never been questioned about a non-Bills player more often in a short period of time than I have about Houston Texans free agent defensive end Mario Williams in the past week.

The questions on everyone's minds: is Williams really going to leave Houston? And would the Bills actually have a shot at signing him if he did?

My opinion, stated as plainly as possible: yes, there is a good chance Williams hits the open market, but it's not the slam dunk everyone seems to think it is. Houston wants Williams back - why wouldn't they? - and Williams by all accounts would like to continue playing for Wade Phillips. The problem, of course, is that the $21.99 million franchise tag requirement precludes the Texans from tagging Williams; they'll either re-sign him prior to March 13 (a Herculean feat to accomplish without considerable help from Williams), or watch him become the most heavily-recruited free agent on the year, and perhaps even in the history of the NFL.

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The Buffalo Bills hosted free agent cornerback Stanford Routt on Monday, and Jason La Canfora of NFL.com tweeted Tuesday that the team is still talking with the corner despite spending his second day visiting the Kansas City Chiefs. La Canfora also notes that Routt has a meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals scheduled for Friday.

If the Buffalo Bills were able to land Routt, it would almost certainly require a contract somewhere north of the three-year, $15 million contract Drayton Florence signed a year ago. As the only free agent out there right now, Routt may be able to use that leverage to get an even larger deal. For comparison's sake, Ike Taylor signed a four-year, $28 million contract a year ago. If Routt is able to land between Florence's $5 million average and Taylor's $7 million average, he would be looking at a contract in the neighborhood of four years for $24 million.

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