As training camps wrap up and the Hall of Fame game has already passed, Bills fans can finally feel the excitement that a new football season brings. This year, however, is a little different than most.

The Buffalo Bills — for the first time in nearly 20 years — come into a season with high expectations after a playoff appearance last season. This year, the bar is set higher than usual for the Bills.

However, this year’s team is already quite different from the team that Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals helped guide miraculously into the Wild Card round of the playoffs last season. There is a new man under center for the Bills, as Tyrod Taylor was shipped to Cleveland for a third round pick early in the offseason. Although it still remains to be seen who that new man under center will be, changing what may be the most important position in professional sports always represents a significant move.

While A.J. McCarron, Nathan Peterman and rookie first round pick Josh Allen battle for the right to start at quarterback, it is important to note that Taylor is far from the only departure from last year’s team. The offensive line is a completely different unit, as left tackle Cordy Glenn, guard Richie Incognito and center Eric Wood are all no longer with the team. In their place, the Bills will likely go with Dion Dawkins on the blindside, Ryan Groy at guard and Russell Bodine as the center, though that is not etched in stone quite yet.

As LeSean McCoy enters the season with questions surrounding allegations of domestic violence, the addition of veteran running back Chris Ivory looks better and better by the day. If the league were to suspend McCoy — which is possible whether or not the legal system finds him at fault — Ivory provides a solid replacement for McCoy. At a cap hit of just under $2.5 million this season, according to spotrac.com, Ivory is money well spent by the Buffalo Bills.

That phrase — money well spent — has been the downfall of the Bills in recent years. For example, this coming season, the Bills have a whopping $46.8 million in dead money against the cap, according to spotrac.com. The next highest team in dead money — money that is being paid to players no longer on the team’s roster — is the Dallas Cowboys at just over $25 million. The Bills have more dead money than Dallas and the fourth highest team, the New York Giants, combined. Leading the way in dead money for the Bills is Marcell Dareus, who will be collecting more than $3 million more this season to not play for the Bills than the team’s highest paid player on the roster, Jerry Hughes, will be making this season. Dareus, Eric Wood, Cordy Glenn and Tyrod Taylor combine for more than $41 million against the cap this season.

While the Bills did fill holes on offense in free agency, the bulk of the team’s spending this offseason went toward improving the defense. The Bills re-signed Kyle Williams and added a pair of lineman alongside him in defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and pass rusher Trent Murphy. Lotulelei will earn $50 million over the course of five seasons, with nearly half of the money guaranteed, while Murphy will earn $22.5 million over three years, with just north of $10 million guaranteed. Buffalo also added a former Pro Bowl corner in Vontae Davis to start opposite Tre’Davious White. After a breakout season from White as a rookie, along with impressive years from Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde in the secondary, Davis could provide a veteran presence in a young, talented unit in a division without many deep threats to match up with.

After so many atrocious decisions had been made before the current regime took over in Buffalo, fans had countless reasons to doubt the vision of GM Brandon Beane and Head Coach Sean McDermott. After the way things turned out last season, however, it’s fair to give them the benefit of the doubt with the moves made this offseason. Now, it is up to the players on the field to put together a streak of results that will be respected around the league and by its fans.

Twitter: @bradencarmen