The Bills are back from their bye with a problem that doesn’t go away just because the schedule says so: a defense that has been leaking yards, especially through the air, while the offense keeps doing its part. If Buffalo is serious about turning a strong season into a Super Bowl run, the front office may need to get aggressive.
One name that has been floated as a possible answer is Maxx Crosby. CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani included the Raiders pass rusher on a list of trade fits for Buffalo, and the logic is pretty simple: the Bills already have Greg Rousseau, who has 6.0 sacks this season, and adding Crosby could give them the kind of edge-rushing punch that changes how opposing offenses have to play.
Dajani laid out his case this way: " Let's get a little wild. The Bills made it clear they were " Super Bowl or bust" when they fired Sean McDermott last year, but this Jim Leonhard defense needs some work.
Buffalo has won four games this year, and all four victories came in matchups where the Bills allowed 30+ points! The rest of the NFL was 8-42 through Week 6 in games where defenses allowed at least 30 points.
The Bills ranked first in points per drive (3.13) and last in points per drive allowed (2.76) after Week 6."
Crosby’s season hasn’t matched the buzz around his name. After the Raiders opened 3-0, they’ve dropped four straight, and Crosby has only 2 sacks. The lack of production isn’t just on him; the source notes he hasn’t had much help along the defensive line.
That’s part of why the price tag may no longer be what it would’ve been in the offseason, when the Raiders agreed to trade Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks before the deal fell apart at the last minute. If Crosby were putting together an All-Pro season, that kind of return would be back on the table. Right now, it likely isn’t.
Even so, the bill wouldn’t be cheap. It would probably take at least one first-round pick plus additional compensation, but that may be a price worth paying for Buffalo given where its defense sits. The Bills have the second-worst pass defense in the NFL, and the clearest path to improvement might be adding another elite pass rusher next to Rousseau.
Whether the Raiders are willing to move Crosby is still unresolved. But if they do decide to listen, Buffalo is the kind of team that should be ready to strike.
In Other News...
Bills Trade Deadline Focus Is Narrowing Around One Real Roster Decision
With the trade deadline approaching, the Bills are doing what contenders usually do at this time of year: weighing whether a small roster tweak could help them keep pace in the AFC without disrupting what is already working. Lloyd Cushenberry, Mike Danna and Josh Palmer have all come up in the conversation as possible trade candidates, but the idea is less about chasing a splash and more about making one clean, targeted decision.
Palmer is the name to watch most closely because his role has been limited, which naturally makes him easier to imagine in a deal if Buffalo chooses to reshape the bottom of the roster. No trade has been reported yet, and the Bills still have time to let the market come to them, but the sense is that this is narrowing toward one real question rather than a wide-open deadline chase. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Head Into Ravens Test With One Massive Problem Behind Josh Allen
Buffalo heads into its meeting with Baltimore at 5-1 and sitting atop the AFC East, which is exactly where a contender wants to be this late in October. Josh Allen has been the driving force, giving the offense the kind of week-to-week punch that keeps the Bills in control of games and capable of surviving stretches when things get loose.
But there is a bigger concern lurking beneath that start, and it does not have anything to do with the scoreboard on offense. A statistic shared by Anthony Dabbundo paints an uncomfortable picture of the Bills through the first seven weeks, one that suggests the team is living in an unusually rare kind of imbalance as the Ravens loom on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Face A Ravens Threat That Could Change Everything Sunday
The Ravens come to Highmark Stadium for a Week 8 meeting with a 4-3 record, and they bring one of the leagues most dangerous offenses with them even if the profile has been a little uneven. Baltimore has gotten strong work from Lamar Jackson when healthy, and the attention on Sunday starts with how much juice the offense can regain with the quarterback back in the lineup. Add in edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who ranks seventh in pressure rate among qualifying NFL edge rushers, and this is the kind of opponent that can test Buffalo in a hurry.
What makes this matchup especially tricky for the Bills is the way Baltimore has played in different parts of games. The Ravens have been much sharper offensively before halftime than after it this season, which raises the question of whether Buffalo can survive the early surge and then keep the pressure on once the game settles in. For a Bills team trying to protect home field, the challenge is not just handling Baltimores talent, but making sure the game does not tilt into the kind of rhythm the Ravens have favored most. [Read more 🡒]