Buffalo Rumblings
It’s time for reaction to our latest poll results, Rumblers! With the NFL trade deadline only two days away (November 4), we’ve talked at length about who Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane should pursue from other teams. This week, I asked Rumblers to pick between two position groups for the Bills to target in a trade: wide receiver and defensive tackle.
A few folks were disappointed that I left out the safety position, but there are more urgent concerns to consider with what little cap space and trade options Beane and company have at their disposal. I simply wanted to get a pulse on what side of the ball fans believe needs more attention.
Yes, the defense has lost Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp to IR, so addressing the current depth would be wise. Are they looking for a new starter outside of One Bills Drive to supplant either Cole Bishop or Jordan Poyer? Shoring up the interior of a defensive line ravaged by injury would go a long way toward helping the team’s safeties play better football overall — no matter who’s lined up back there.
Now the Bills have lost defensive tackle Ed Oliver to Injured Reserve (IR), with a bit of hope he could return for a playoff run. DaQuan Jones is still dealing with a calf injury and a nebulous return-to-play situation. With rookie T.J. Sanders and second-year man DeWayne Carter also on IR, options have been sparse all season. Right now, it’s Larry Ogunjobi, rookie Deone Walker, Jordan Phillips, and Phidarian Mathis tasked with holding their own in the trenches. Is the team comfortable not adding other legitimate starters to the mix?
Much of the national discourse and rumor mill is centered around Buffalo’s apparent search for help at wide receiver. It’s arguable that even at full health, the wide receivers room was among the weakest position groups on the team — outside of Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel is always one fingernail away from his next injury, and now Joshua Palmer is sidelined with an ankle injury. Keon Coleman just isn’t clicking yet with featured looks and snaps, and Elijah Moore seems typecast into a role that doesn’t suit him. Meanwhile, Tyrell Shavers’ promising training camp and preseason haven’t transferred to a lot of regular-season production.
To be quite honest, as important as defensive tackles are to the team, the wide receiver situation may be having a detrimental effect on quarterback Josh Allen this season. He’s not playing his best football this season, and he has only Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid (when healthy) to regularly count on. The situation is magnified by the fact that Buffalo’s offense rarely involves running backs in the passing game.
For all their efforts in the offseason, One Bills Drive might need to add another wide receiver with premiere talent and/or potential to the mix at this point. Popular names are Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars), Jakobi Meyers (Las Vegas Raiders), plus Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed...
