Bills rumors: Another Browns trade, Azeez Olujari buzz, defense catches a break
By Luke Norris
While the Buffalo Bills have already made a monster move in acquiring five-time Pro Bowl wideout Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, which paid immediate dividends in their 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, they're still being linked to several other players ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 5.
That's simply what happens when you're a genuine Super Bowl contender. Plus, general manager Brandon Beane has already stated that the team might not be done making deals, so there's that.
We've already stated our case as to why Buffalo should stay away from Cooper Kupp, so we won't get into that here. But we will get into a couple of other trade rumors that have been floating around this week, one of which involves a second trade with the Browns. We'll also dive into the talk on how the Bills' defense could catch a break in their Week 8 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Bills have been linked to a second trade with the Browns
With the Browns' season essentially already over — Joe Flacco isn't coming to save the day this time — there's been plenty of chatter about how Cleveland could part ways with more players after already dealing Cooper.
There was a rumor floating around that Myles Garrett might even be available, but that's not a likely scenario. However, an interesting trade candidate at this point could be linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. And if the Browns are interested in moving him, Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker thinks the Bills could be a possible destination.
"If the Browns really wanted to reset, moving Owusu-Koramoah could be smart," Locker wrote. "The linebacker signed a three-year extension in August, but moving him isn’t as onerous as it would look. ... Cleveland and Buffalo already did business once, so maybe making another exchange isn’t totally out of the question."
The Bills have had issues at linebacker. While the return of Von Miller will help in that regard, Owusu-Koramoah would add some solid depth to a defensive unit that's struggled at times. In six games for the Browns, he's racked up 54 tackles, a pair of sacks, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and an interception.
And Owusu-Koramoah is a very cost-effective move. His cap hit for this season is only $3.81 million, and while it does heighten over each of the next two seasons, it maxes out at $6.2 million in 2026. As the Bills don't have a ton of cap space over the next few years, this could actually work.
Bills have been linked to Giants pass rusher Azeez Olujari
While Buffalo has done a decent job attacking quarterbacks, ranking tied for ninth in the league in sacks with 19.0, adding another pass rusher certainly wouldn't hurt at this point.
Again, without much cap space with which to work, it'd be tough for the Bills to go after any high-priced players. However, one name to which they've been linked is New York Giants linebacker Azeez Olujari, who's playing on the final season of his rookie contract and only has a $2.155 million cap hit this year.
With the Giants putting plenty of money elsewhere, it seems they're set to let Olujari hit the market next spring. So, they may be eager to get something in return for him instead of allowing him to just waltz into free agency.
Olujari has played solidly this season, racking up 4.0 sacks in six games, 3.0 of which have come in the last two weeks. This rumor is only going to pick up steam, and it's one that could easily come to fruition.
The Bills' defense may not have to deal with Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf
While the Buffalo defense hasn't been terrible against the pass through seven games, it certainly hasn't been the best in the league. Thus far, the Bills have allowed 209.1 yards per game through the air, which currently ranks 17th among the 32 teams.
That being said, they're preparing to face a Seahawks team that has averaged 270.9 passing yards per game, the most in the NFL. So, on paper, there seems to be a little mismatch there.
However, there is word going around that DK Metcalf, who sprained the MCL in his left knee in the Seahawks' Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons, may be in line to miss just the second game of his professional career.
Metcalf sat out of practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and may do so again on Friday. However, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald says that he thinks "DK is a guy we’d be comfortable taking him all the way to the game (without practicing, before deciding if he will play)."
Metcalf has missed midweek practices in the past with various injuries, but none of them were quite this severe. One would expect someone who's only missed one game to give it his best shot, but even if he does give it a go, he won't be at 100%.
Geno Smith obviously has more weapons to throw to in Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Noah Fant, and even Kenneth Walker III out of the backfield. But Metcalf is the clear No. 1 receiving option on this team. So, if he doesn't suit up or isn't at full strength, the chances of the Bills notching a third straight victory go up significantly.