The Bills are looking around the safety market, and the Jaguars already made the first loud move.
With Buffalo set to face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football the day before the 2026 NFL trade deadline, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bills have been “scanning” the safety pool in recent days. That comes after Jacksonville beat them to the biggest name available, landing Jessie Bates from the Atlanta Falcons.
“Jaguars swung big at safety but aren’t only ones in that market,” Fowler reports. “Bills have scanned the safety pool of late.”
Bates was viewed as maybe the best safety on the trade block this season, so Jacksonville’s move takes a major upgrade off the board for Buffalo. It also means the Bills may have seen one of their top AFC rivals get stronger at a spot they clearly had interest in addressing.
There are still other names out there. Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals would be a strong addition, and Amani Hooker of the Tennessee Titans is another option the Bills could pursue. Neither deal would come cheap, and neither player is a lock to move, but Buffalo appears to be doing its homework.
The timing matters, too. The Bills have yet to play in Week 9, which may be part of why Jacksonville got to Bates first. Now Buffalo is left chasing the next tier of safety help.
And that pursuit fits the bigger picture. The Bills need defensive help if they want to make a real run this season.
Josh Allen gives them a chance every week, and there’s reason to think this team can win it all. But if Buffalo wants to maximize that opportunity, upgrading the safety room has to be near the top of the list before the deadline hits.
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