In a season where Josh Allen keeps giving Buffalo a chance, the Bills’ defense has been the part dragging its feet. The front has had moments, but the back end has been a problem, and if Buffalo wants to do more than scrape by, the safety spot has to get fixed before the trade deadline.
Cole Bishop has held up as the reliable piece at safety. The trouble is everything around him.
The Bills have cycled through options, including Damar Hamlin, and still haven’t settled the other spot. When C.J.
Gardner-Johnson was ejected and then suspended for spitting in Week 6, Bills fans mostly seemed relieved he was gone - and his absence even helped Jalon Kilgore look better later in that game. That’s not exactly a sign of a sturdy roster.
With 11 regular season games left, Buffalo doesn’t have much time to keep waiting for the answer to show up. The trade market offers it, though, and there are a few names that fit what the Bills need.
Budda Baker is the biggest swing. The Arizona safety brings the kind of talent, resume, and leadership that can change the conversation at the position.
He’s also expensive. Baker has one season left on his contract after 2026, and he’s due almost $21 million next season, though only $3 million if he’s cut.
For the rest of this year, he’s on the books for just under $10 million, making him a pricey rental with real impact.
The question with Baker is how Buffalo creates the extra $3 million needed to make the 2026 money work. A deal could include sending a player back to Arizona, which would help balance the numbers.
If Baker doesn’t get it done, Jessie Bates III should. Atlanta is spiraling, and the Falcons could be motivated to turn a veteran asset into future pieces while they still can. Bates is having a down year, and if the Falcons wait too long, they won’t get anything from him this offseason.
For Buffalo, the cost would be about $8 million this season. That’s not cheap, but the Bills are looking at the kind of upgrade that could matter when it counts.
The comparison is obvious: an $8 million gap between having C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the field in the playoffs or Jessie Bates III is the sort of bet teams make when they believe the defense needs a real fix.
Then there’s Nick Cross, a less obvious name but one that makes sense. The Washington safety signed his first free agency deal this offseason, and it hasn’t worked out yet.
Washington sits at 1-4-1 and has already lost top receiver Terry McLaurin for the season, which makes a turnaround feel close to impossible. That opens the door for Cross to become available.
Cross is a young safety with a contract that’s easy to move on from, and that gives Buffalo flexibility. He’d cost only about $2.5 million for this season, and the Bills would have the choice to keep him next year at $7.75 million or cut him for just $1.5 million against the cap.
Buffalo doesn’t need to guess forever. The market has options, and the Bills have a clear area to attack if they want to steady the defense before the deadline passes.
In Other News...
Bills Face A Cornerback Decision That Could Change Their Defense
Buffalos offense has done enough to keep the Bills in the thick of the AFC race, but the defense still has a shaky feel to it, especially at cornerback. With the trade deadline approaching, that weakness is drawing extra attention, and the front office is at least being linked to a few possible ways to shore up the secondary before the stretch run.
The names being floated reflect the kind of fix Buffalo may need: a player who can hold up in coverage, help stabilize the back end and give the defense a little more flexibility. Whether the Bills choose to pay up for help or hunt for a more manageable deal, the cornerback spot has become one of the clearest places where a move could change how this defense looks down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Bye Week Puts Pressure On Josh Allen's Hot Start
The Bills enter their Week 7 bye with a 5-1 record and plenty to sort through after a fast start. Josh Allen has helped drive an offense that has topped 30 points in four of six games, giving Buffalo the kind of early cushion teams usually hope for in October, even as the defense has left more questions than answers.
Josh Allens side of the ball has given the Bills a chance to breathe during the break, but the reset also comes with the reminder that the next stretch will be a real test of how sustainable this start is. Buffalo comes out of the bye at home against Baltimore, and the balance between keeping the offense rolling and tightening up the rest of the operation will loom over the week ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Lamar Jackson Closely
Lamar Jacksons ankle injury has already cost him two games, and the Ravens will keep him out again this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has been taking part in limited practices, and Baltimore remains cautiously optimistic about getting its quarterback back soon after a stretch in which the offense has had to make do without one of the leagues most dynamic players.
For Bills fans, the timing matters because NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Jackson is expected to be back for Baltimores Nov. 1 game against Buffalo. The Ravens still have not officially cleared him for Week 8, so there is still a layer of uncertainty, but this is the kind of situation Bills supporters will be monitoring closely as that matchup gets closer. [Read more 🡒]