The Buffalo Bills have two picks in the Round 1 of the 2018 Draft. However, they will likely have to trade up in order to snag a much-needed quarterback.
Though NFL free agency has yet to be officially underway, the Buffalo Bills are already thinking ahead to April and the 2018 NFL Draft.
According to Yahoo Sports NFL insider Charles Robinson, the Bills “will explore trade scenarios to move into the top five picks” this year, with “talks… expected to materialize after the first week of free agency,” and continuing through to the league owners’ meetings in Orlando, Florida in late March.
A league source tells Yahoo Sports the Buffalo #Bills will explore trade scenarios to move into the top five picks in the #NFL draft (QB-needy #Jets hold 6th pick). Talks are expected to materialize after first week of free agency and intensify at the Orlando owner's meetings.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 13, 2018
One can only assume the Bills’ interest in trading up involves improving the quarterback position. Buffalo already traded their 2017 starter, Tyrod Taylor, to the Cleveland Browns, leaving them with just Nathan Peterman and Joe Webb headlining their present quarterbacks room.
Webb threw just seven passes a year ago—and saw his first action as a quarterback since 2011 with the Minnesota Vikings—while Peterman boasted two starts in 2017, including a disastrous outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in which he completed six of his 14 passes for 66 yards and threw five interceptions to zero touchdowns.
With the free-agent quarterback market dwindling—Kirk Cousins is headed to the Vikings, Case Keenum has signed with the Denver Broncos and Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have come to terms on a new contract, among others—the Bills’ next-best chance to upgrade the position will come in April’s draft. But there are also roadblocks to that strategy; though Buffalo’s current first pick in the first round is at No. 12 (a result of moving left tackle Cordy Glenn to the Cincinnati Bengals), that still isn’t high enough for the Bills to feel confident that they can get one of the draft’s top quarterbacks by standing pat.
The Bills do possess the draft capital necessary to move up in Round 1. On top of the Bengals’ former No. 12 selection, they also have the No. 22 pick. They also possess two picks in each of the second and third rounds which will doubtlessly sweeten any deal they offer the top five teams in the draft. While wresting the No. 1 spot from the Cleveland Browns isn’t realistic, given the Browns’ likelihood of also taking a quarterback early, they could make a move for Cleveland’s No. 4 selection. The New York Giants, at No. 2, the Indianapolis Colts at No. 3 and the Denver Broncos at No. 5 should all expect to receive calls from Buffalo, as well.
Next: NFL: 15 Biggest Draft Busts Of All-Time
The key, however, is to move up ahead of the New York Jets, who are also in the quarterback market and pick at No. 6 in Round 1. If Buffalo cannot jump up above that No. 6 spot, it’s possible that three quarterbacks, if not more, could already be spoken for, putting the Bills behind the eight ball when it comes to improving their most important offensive position.
There’s no question that Buffalo must add quarterback talent. And the Bills have enough ammunition to put together an enticing package of picks to make a leap up the draft order; now, it’s a matter of getting general managers to listen to their offers. The next few weeks will prove crucial to the Bills’ odds for success in 2018 and beyond.