The Buffalo Bills lost their second straight game following a 4-0 start which had pundits like myself penciling them into the Super Bowl this coming February. Well, so much for that. Yes, the Bills should still be lumped among the AFC frontrunners, but no great triumph comes without its pain points. By losing in Atlanta on Monday night, the Bills are now tied with the New England Patriots atop the AFC East. New England also owns the tiebreaker over Buffalo, which could come in handy down the stretch.
A team like Buffalo, which is clearly in win-now mode, is the exact type of contender which should make a move at the NFL trade deadline. The Bills don't need to make a huge splash if they're uncomfortable doing so, but there are plenty of impact players to be had at an affordable asking price. The Bills biggest needs as of this writing appear to be their secondary, pass rush and wide receiving corps.
With that in mind, here are some trades the Bills can make to salvage their season – and take the Patriots out of the AFC East race entirely in the process.
Bills should trade for Rasul Douglas
The Bills did address their concerns in the first half against Atlanta with some much-needed adjustments by defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott. However, in that first half, Buffalo was carved up by Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London. As much as I admire the Falcons efforts this season, – just their second with Penix Jr. under center – the Bills defense and secondary ought to be better at this point in the season.
This comes just one week after Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to an upset victory over the Bills, as well. These are two young quarterbacks who surprisingly moved the ball up and down the field (when needed) against a Buffalo defense built to stop the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. What the hell happened?
Buffalo doesn't need to make a big swing by the early-November trade deadline to improve their secondary, but it couldn't hurt to add some bodies. Rasul Douglas makes a lot of sense for any number of teams. It'll be tough for Buffalo to swing an in-division trade, but given Douglas is signed to a one-year deal on an affordable contract AND Miami needs all the draft capital they can get, nothing is off-limits.
Bills still need another wideout: Why not DeAndre Hopkins?
The Bills have so much of their salary cap invested in Josh Allen that they need one of their young wide receivers to step up. Keon Coleman has been a pleasant surprise this year, as has Khalil Shakir, who showed up in a big way against the Falcons. That being said, the Bills are still lacking a wideout who can 1-on-1 down the field consistently.
While I wouldn't recommend using him on any given play, one thing DeAndre Hopkins has proven in his brief time with the Ravens is that he can win those matchups, especially on the deep ball. The Ravens are a run-oriented team, but when they really need a big play, they know they can rely on Hopkins. Here's what FanSided's Chris Kline wrote about a potential Bills-Hopkins fit.
"Hopkins only has nine catches through six weeks, averaging a whopping 19.8 yards per reception. He can still make dazzling catches over the top, he can still beat receivers one-on-one on the outside, but Hopkins' days as a WR1 are over, Still, the Buffalo Bills can always use more experienced weapons at wide receiver. If you can't stay afloat with Jackson in Baltimore, following the chain of opportunity to Buffalo is an ideal outcome," Kline wrote.
Hopkins wouldn't be an expensive get if the Ravens are out of the AFC North race in a few weeks. It's worth a call, even to a fellow contender.
A Trey Hendrickson blockbuster would solve the Bills problems
Another AFC North team on the struggle bus is the Cincinnati Bengals. While rivals like the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers signed their respective pass-rushers in Myles Garrett and TJ Watt to expensive contracts, the Bengals have yet to give in. Hendrickson will make $29 million this season and then hit free agency. As a rental, he makes a lot of sense for a team lacking a true sack artist. While the Bills added Joey Bosa this offseason, they've struggled to get to the quarterback the last few weeks. If they hope to make the Super Bowl, they'll need a force like Hendrickson, who has also been linked to the San Francisco 49ers.
This isn't to say the Bills pass rush is useless. Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau and Bosa along with a strong linebacking corps definitely offers...something. But can the Bills reach the Super Bowl – perhaps going through the Chiefs again in the process – without a player of Hendrickson's stature? I'm not so sure.
Hendrickson would be the most expensive of the options listed in this article. He'd also make the greatest impact, and is coming off the books after this season. That seems worthwhile to me.