Trade options for Bills that would strengthen Buffalo’s DB room

Trade options for Bills that would strengthen Buffalo’s DB room
Buffalo Rumblings Buffalo Rumblings

For years, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott got the absolute most out of his defensive backfield, taking low-end free agents like Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer and turning them into the most feared safety tandem in the NFL. Tre’Davious White was a late first-round pick who blossomed into an All-Pro cornerback and Christian Benford and Taron Johnson were late-round steals who both earned extensions from the team.

Now, Buffalo’s secondary feels like a shell of its former self. Part of that is of course due to injuries (Damar Hamlin, Maxwell Hairston, Dorian Strong), but that’s not the entire story. The Bills gave themselves no safety valves to account for injuries in the defensive backfield, and seemed content to run back a shaky safety room from last season, all while adding over-the-hill veterans they were familiar with in White and safety Jordan Poyer. Cornerback Rasul Douglas was let go after struggling last season but has seemingly been serviceable for the Miami Dolphins, and safety Darrick Forrest was a low-risk free-agent signing who couldn’t even make the team.

Buffalo’s coverage stats don’t look half bad at a glance, but Benford isn’t playing like the shutdown corner he was in 2024. He’s allowed the same amount of touchdowns through six weeks (4) than he did all last year — and seeing his target rate jump from 11.4% to 17% this season.

The Bills’ biggest issue in the back half is the unit’s status as being a total liability in the run game. Buffalo is worst in the NFL in yards after contact per attempt at 4.38 (second worst is the Los Angeles Chargers at 3.65!), and the defense has allowed the second-most runs of 10-plus yards in the NFL (31). Teams are running outside the tackles purposely at Buffalo’s secondary at by far the highest clip in the league, with 66.9% of opponent rushes going outside the tackles (7% higher than any other defense).

Taylor Rapp has become a massive liability, missing eight tackles (second most for a safety) and he’s never been above average in coverage throughout his career. His downward trajectory mixed with injuries to linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle Ed Oliver has devastated Buffalo’s run defense at all three levels and made them the worst run defense in the league out of a Nickel formation.

The Bills’ cap situation is tight, and the team lacks proper depth. So what options can general manager Brandon Beane explore before the NFL trade deadline hits on November 4? Let’s look at three players that would round out this secondary and give the defense some more flexibility and help for the front seven.

Tariq Woolen, CB (Seattle Seahawks)

The irony of this move is that so far in 2025, Woolen’s problems sound exactly the same as the ones plaguing Buffalo’s defensive backs. Woolen has one of the worst Pro Football Focus (PFF) coverage grades this season and has historically missed tackles at a high rate (Seattle is the team with the...