The Buffalo Bills’ secondary took another hit when the team cut starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after he was suspended for spitting at Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Buffalo was already thin back there, and the move only sharpened the need.
That urgency matters because this has the look of a season when the Bills should be pushing chips in. They own the AFC’s best record, and the conference around them has opened up in a big way.
Lamar Jackson could be out for the whole season. The Kansas City Chiefs have dropped back-to-back games.
The Denver Broncos are dealing with the worst starting quarterback among the contending teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers are leaning on a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, have a long history of falling short when it matters most.
With that backdrop, the trade deadline suddenly feels like a real opportunity for Buffalo to get aggressive.
The offense is humming, so while another wide receiver would be nice, the bigger issue is on defense - especially in the back end. The Bills are sitting with the third-worst pass defense in the league, and that’s where the attention has to go.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell floated two veteran defensive backs who could fit. One is Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden, who is due $3.3 million over the rest of the season. The other is Colts safety Cam Bynum, 28, who would save Indianapolis nearly $6 million in cash.
“ If the Chargers are unloading, the Bills might call about cornerback Elijah Molden, who is due $3.3 million over the remainder of the season. The Colts could also be interested in moving 28-year-old Cam Bynum, a move that would save Indy nearly $6 million in cash. Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of cap space, but it could restructure Greg Rousseau ’s contract or ask the Cardinals or Colts to retain some money by sending a better pick as part of either deal.”
Barnwell’s point is simple: Buffalo doesn’t have a lot of cap room, so cheaper targets make sense. Molden would address the cornerback need. Bynum would help fill the void left by Gardner-Johnson.
Neither player is a headline-grabbing fix on his own, but if the Bills want to protect their draft capital and still make a move, those are two names worth watching.
In Other News...
Bills Move On From C.J. Gardner-Johnson As Secondary Questions Grow
The Bills moved on from C.J. Gardner-Johnson after his one-game suspension ended, a decision that adds another layer to a secondary already under the microscope. Head coach Joe Brady said the move was difficult because of Gardner-Johnsons edge and personality, but the team ultimately made the call after taking a hard look at what it needed coming out of the Baltimore game.
With that spot now open, Buffalo is turning to Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone as it tries to steady the defensive backfield. The release leaves the Bills with another personnel question to answer on a defense that has been asked to adjust quickly, and it puts even more attention on how the back end holds up in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Have A Bad Timing Problem Before Vikings Game
The Bills offensive line got a little wobbly at just the wrong time this week, with their Week 9 prep for the Vikings opening under a cloud of injury concerns. Buffalo is already staring at a difficult matchup against a Minnesota defense known for bringing pressure and mixing in blitzes, so the health of the front five suddenly matters even more than usual.
Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson both sat out practice, while Spencer Brown was limited as the Bills tried to sort through the early-week workload. With three key linemen showing up on the report, Buffalos protection plans are worth watching closely as the game approaches, especially against a defense that can make life uncomfortable in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Face A Brutal Primetime Stretch With January Stakes
The second half of Buffalos season is about to get loud, and not just because of the spotlight. The Bills are headed into five primetime games against winning teams, a run that includes matchups with the Vikings, Chiefs, Packers, Bears and Broncos, with several of those games carrying real weight in the race for playoff positioning. For a team with January ambitions, this is the kind of stretch that can shape the whole conversation around the AFC.
What makes it even more interesting is the mix of stakes and familiarity built into the schedule. There are coaching ties, star power and a handful of opponents that have already established themselves as legitimate tests, which means Buffalo will spend a lot of the back half of the year under the leagues brightest lights. If the Bills are going to protect their place in the standings, this is the part of the calendar where every detail starts to matter. [Read more 🡒]