The NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday, and the Buffalo Bills stood pat and did not make a deal.
That comes as a bit of a surprise for several reasons. First and foremost, it seems like the roster needed fortification at defensive line thanks to a spate of injuries that have seriously depleted the talent level.
And there was a report that circulated Monday night that the Bills’ restructured the contract of cornerback Taron Johnson which seemed like an indication that general manager Brandon Beane was trying to get something done. According to sports contract site Spotrac, that move doubled his available cap space to $3.3 million.
However, nothing happened.
Who the Bills didn’t trade for on defense
On the defensive line, one name that seemed pretty obvious if he was available was tackle Harrison Phillips, Buffalo’s third-round pick in 2018 who played four seasons for the Bills, signed as a free agent with the Vikings, and then was traded to New York late in August.
Given the two huge deals the Jets made in trading cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts and Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, it seemed like a fore sale was taking place, but they decided to hold on to Phillips, among others.
With Ed Oliver, TJ Sanders and DeWayne Carter all on injured reserve, DaQuan Jones missing the last three games with a return still unknown, and hybrid linemen Michael Hoecht – who got some inside snaps in the two games he played before blowing out his Achilles – landing on IR, the Bills have a severe deficiency.
They are relying on rookie Deone Walker, Larry Ogunjobi, and practice squad-level players Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue and Phidarian Mathis. It seems rather stunning that Beane didn’t add to that group.
Who the Buffalo Bills did not trade for at wide receiver
Two wide receivers who had been linked to the Bills via the media were moved. Rashid Shaheed of the Saints went to the Seahawks for fourth- and fifth-round picks. And Jakobi Meyers, moved from the Raiders to the Jaguars.
Another name that popped up during the day Tuesday was Deebo Samuel of the Commanders. But that one seemed a little dubious because he has played the majority of his snaps this season, his first with the Commanders, in the slot. That’s where Khalil Shakir plays for Buffalo, it’s where Elijah Moore is better suited to playing as opposed on the outside, and it’s also where some believe Keon Coleman should play.
A couple weeks ago, cornerback felt like a key need for the Bills with Tre’Davious White showing his age and no truly viable depth behind him, but the return of rookie first-round pick Max Hairston from the injured reserve list changed that.
Hairston has immediately earned meaningful playing time sharing snaps with White opposite Christian Benford, and Beane clearly felt an addition wasn’t necessary with Ja’Marcus Ingram as a No. 4, and Dane Jackson available on the practice squad, though those last two options are not exactly promising if the Bills should incur injuries.
This is the first time since 2021 that Beane did not make a deadline move. In 2022 he acquired running back Nyheim Hines from the Colts in exchange for Zack Moss, and also plucked safety Dean Marlowe from the Falcons for a seventh-round pick.
In 2023, cornerback Rasul Douglas and a fifth-round pick came from the Packers for a third-round pick.
And in 2024, wide receiver Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick was the acquisition from the Browns for a third- and seventh-rounder.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills make no trades despite defensive line injuries, wide receiver needs
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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