The Bills don’t have the luxury of waiting around anymore. With the trade deadline about two weeks away, Buffalo’s defense needs reinforcements, and the secondary sits near the top of the problem list.
The numbers are ugly: the Bills are allowing the second-most passing yards per game, the most passing first downs, and the second-most passing touchdowns per game. If Brandon Beane is going to shake up this roster, the back end is a place where one move could matter fast.
Safety is one of the spots that deserves immediate attention, especially with the Bills searching for stability next to Cole Bishop. There are a few names worth circling, and each comes with a different level of cost, risk, and upside.
Budda Baker stands out as the cleanest fit. The Arizona Cardinals veteran is an eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro, and he has spent his entire career proving he can be a difference-maker even on teams that haven’t given him much help.
This season, Baker has played in all seven games, piling up 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. He would bring Buffalo the kind of trusted presence this defense is missing.
The catch is financial: he’s under contract through 2027, but his $20.89 million cap hit could complicate things unless the Bills extend him to spread out the money.
Derwin James is the swing-for-the-fences option. If Buffalo can make the numbers work, he changes the conversation about the secondary immediately.
He’s been out with a hamstring injury this season, and his missed tackles this year are hovering around 17%, which is not ideal for a team already dealing with tackling issues. Still, James remains one of the league’s most intimidating safeties when healthy, and he would add real credibility to the defense.
The contract is the hurdle. He signed a 3-year, $75.6 million extension this year that runs through 2029, with cap hits of $20.5, $27.6, and $27.5 million over the next three years.
Buffalo would likely need to restructure to make that work, though there is an out after 2027 with just a $6 million dead cap hit if the fit doesn’t work.
Andre Cisco is the more modest possibility. He hasn’t seen much action since being benched in Week 3 after signing a one-year deal with the Jets in the offseason.
For Buffalo, he would be more of a “better than nothing” addition than a headline-grabbing answer. But there is at least a path to value if he can rediscover the form he showed in Jacksonville, where he recorded eight interceptions over three seasons.
The Bills need help on defense, and the safety market offers different levels of urgency and ambition. Baker brings steadiness, James brings star power, and Cisco brings a cheaper swing. Now it’s up to Beane to decide how aggressive he wants to be by November 10.
In Other News...
Former Bills Back Just Added To Houstons Miserable Stretch
Devin Singletary has a habit of popping up in places that matter to the Bills, and Sunday was another reminder of that. The former Buffalo running back, who spent four seasons with the team before a stop in Houston, helped the New York Giants steal a win from the Texans in Week 7 and added another twist to a stretch the Texans would rather forget.
Singletarys late burst came in overtime and ended the game on a 30-yard touchdown run, a jolt that landed especially hard for a Houston team trying to steady itself. The loss pushed the Texans deeper into a rough start, while Singletary kept adding to a career path that has already taken him from Buffalo to Houston and now to a much needed Giants moment. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Bye Week Just Put Real Pressure On The AFC Race
The Bills spent Week 7 on the sideline, but the bye still worked in their favor as several AFC rivals stumbled and the picture around the conference shifted again. Buffalo remains in strong position at 5-1, and the breathing room created by other teams losses only added to the importance of what comes next in a crowded race near the top of the standings.
A weekend without football can still feel productive when the bracket breaks your way, but it also sharpens the focus on every result from here on out. With the AFC playoff race tightening and Week 8 bringing a fresh set of matchups to sort through, Buffalos margin for error is getting smaller even while the team continues to sit near the front of the pack. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Is Giving Bills Fans A New MVP Argument
Josh Allen has done more than steady the Bills during their 5-1 start, he has basically powered the whole operation while the defense has had its own issues. Through six games, Allen has piled up more than 1,700 total yards and 17 total touchdowns, and his 75.8 QBR reflects just how often Buffalo has leaned on him to keep pace and finish drives.
Around the league, that kind of impact is getting noticed in a big way. In a poll of 16 NFL executives, coaches and personnel, Allen landed near the top of the early MVP conversation, which only adds fuel to the case Bills fans are already making as the season settles in. And with Buffalo winning despite imperfect play on the other side of the ball, the question is no longer whether Allen is carrying weight, but how far that argument can go if he keeps producing at this level. [Read more 🡒]