The Bills are in a good spot early, but the back end of the defense still looks like a problem that won’t fix itself.
Buffalo sits atop the AFC East at 5-1 and is coming off back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders. Even with that strong start, the defense has allowed at least 29 points in each of the last three games, and that kind of trend raises real questions about how this team will hold up later in the season.
That’s why secondary help is becoming such a clear priority. One name now floating into the conversation is Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor, who has reportedly been struggling this season and was a healthy scratch in Week 6.
“Bills - Titans CB Alontae Taylor: The Titans love them some drama and deciding to bench their best corner, who they just signed to a $20M/year deal, six weeks into his tenure there, is right on brand. Buffalo desperately needs to address serious issues on the back end; they don’t have really three NFL quality boundary corners, and Taylor was very good with the Saints. Weird time to rework a brand new free-agent deal for a trade, but Buffalo GM Brandon Beane is quite good, and there are not many corners who could get dealt,” Jason La Canfora wrote.
Taylor is not being sold as a perfect fit, and his play this season has reflected that. Still, for a Bills team trying to position itself for a Super Bowl run, a veteran corner with his résumé could make sense.
What Tennessee would ask for in return remains unknown, but after the Titans sat him, Taylor does appear to be a player worth monitoring.
In Other News...
Christian Benford Tries To Calm Bills Fears About This Defense
Even with a 5-1 start powered by Josh Allen and the offense, the Bills have had to answer some uncomfortable questions about the other side of the ball. Cornerback Christian Benford stepped in to frame those early defensive struggles as part of the transition under first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard, pointing to scheme adjustments and roster turnover as the biggest reasons the unit has not looked settled yet.
The numbers have not been pretty, with Buffalo sitting near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed, but Benfords message was more about patience than panic. He believes the defense will improve as the group gets more snaps together and becomes more comfortable in Leonhards system, which is the kind of internal confidence the Bills will need if they want the early record to hold up through the tougher stretches ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Safety Need Could Put Jessie Bates In Play
The safety market can always get interesting when the trade deadline starts creeping closer, and Jessie Bates has emerged as the kind of name that could force Buffalo to at least pick up the phone. The Falcons veteran has been one of the steadier defensive backs in the league, and his contract status only adds to the appeal for a Bills team that could use help on the back end if it wants to sharpen its defense for the stretch run.
Of course, prying away a player like Bates is never simple, especially for a team that still views him as a cornerstone rather than a luxury piece. The Bills make sense as a fit because of need and ambition, but any real movement would have to line up with Atlantas own calculations, and those are still very much in flux as the deadline draws near. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Keeps Doing Something Sacks Usually Kill
A sack usually feels like a drive-killer, the sort of play that tilts a possession toward punts and field goals. But Josh Allen has spent the last few years making that math look a lot less reliable for Buffalo, because the Bills have been able to keep drives alive and turn those broken plays into real scoring chances at a rate that stands out even in a league full of elite quarterbacks.
Since 2020, Allens offense has been more dangerous than the usual NFL baseline on possessions that absorb a sack, which is a big reason the Bills can survive the kind of negative plays that sink lesser offenses. The company he keeps in that category is elite, too, with only a couple of other quarterbacks in the modern era grading out better over a large enough sample, a reminder that Buffalos passing game has found a way to turn damage control into something far more productive. [Read more 🡒]