The Buffalo Bills are lighting up scoreboards on one side of the ball, but the other side remains the problem with the trade deadline approaching. Their offense is producing points at a pace no one else in the league can match. Their defense, though, still needs help, and cornerback is the clearest place to start.
That need is especially obvious when the Bills look beyond Christian Benford. Benford has given them a true CB1.
Davison Igbinosun has been a streaky but talented CB2. After that, the depth chart gets shaky fast.
Maxwell Hairston has been asked to hold down the CB3 spot, and the results simply haven’t been good enough. Buffalo has already learned that its defensive line can create splash plays and steady pressure, but the back seven has not matched that progress.
The Bills can keep getting burned on the back end while their offense keeps giving them leads, or they can try to raise the ceiling now. Adding Tre'Davious White doesn’t solve that problem.
So who could Brandon Beane target? There are a few names that could make sense, depending on price.
One option is Tariq Woolen of the Philadelphia Eagles. Woolen signed a one-year, $12m deal this offseason with the idea of positioning himself for a bigger payday next year.
That plan has become a lot murkier with Philadelphia sliding after the loss of Jalen Hurts for the season, which could push the Eagles toward seller mode. For Buffalo, Woolen would not be a financial gut punch.
Future money is cheaper than money paid today, so the deal would be manageable in the short term, and a possible extension would only improve the fit. If there is no extension, he still profiles as the best rental available.
Donte Jackson of the Los Angeles Chargers is another name to watch. With the Chargers’ season going the wrong way, moving Jackson makes sense for them.
For the Bills, he would be a low-cost rental with no long-term commitment attached. There is under $4m left on his deal this season, which keeps him within range and gives Buffalo a way to help the secondary without tying itself to future money.
Then there is Mike Sainristil, a more unusual trade possibility because he is still on his rookie deal with extra seasons left. Players in that situation usually are not moved, but circumstances can change that, and the Washington Commanders look like a team that may have to sell.
Washington is 1-4-1, and if it wants to recoup value for some pieces, Sainristil could draw interest from Buffalo. He brings exactly the kind of profile the Bills could use: a capable blitzer from the secondary who can make solo tackles in space.
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Bills Still Have One Defensive Problem That Trade Deadline Could Fix
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Among the names floated as possibilities are Budda Baker and Jessie Bates III, two established veterans whose situations are worth monitoring, along with Nick Cross, who would be the more affordable route. Cross stands out as the cheapest fit by a wide margin at roughly $2.5 million this season, which could matter for a Bills team weighing value as much as talent while it tries to patch one last hole on defense. [Read more 🡒]