Buffalo Bills: Where to fill in gaps at 2018 NFL Trade Deadline
Potential options are available at the 2018 NFL Trade Deadline as the Buffalo Bills to try and salvage their season by adding more depth to their roster.
The 2018 NFL Trade Deadline is merely days away and there are a few holes to be patched with the Buffalo Bills roster. The question is, which position would the Bills attack first to help close out the remainder of the season?
Their offensive line still needs some work, as they’ve had trouble protecting their quarterback, no matter who is under center. What’s more concerning is the entire O-line is healthy, so that’s not the issue. A lot of teams are struggling to build their strong linemen to fight through the trenches, so finding an available player is extremely unlikely.
Buffalo’s quarterback situation is temporarily a burden with Josh Allen still nursing his right elbow injury. Backup Derek Anderson had limited practice heading into Week 8 with reports of a lower back injury. The Bills and their fans are in deep trouble if Nathan Peterson is their only option left, who has literally become a laughing stock in the NFL.
It poses a great question as to why the Bills ever thought it was a great idea to release A.J. McCarron? The Bills received a fifth-round pick for the 2019 NFL Draft for trading him to the Oakland Raiders, but in hindsight, they may have wanted to keep McCarron on the roster.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
It doesn’t appear that any teams are looking to trade any of their backup quarterbackss. The New Orleans Saints will hold on to Teddy Bridgewater, and Tampa Bay will want to keep Ryan Fitzpatrick just in case they need some additional magic. Are the McCown brothers still available? Maybe it’s time for Buffalo to get a hold of their agent for a temporary quarterback solution.
The reality of the situation, though, is that Allen will be back in a few weeks. It will be a difficult process until then — especially going up against the New England Patriots — but it seems that Buffalo fans are searching for some light at the end of this dark tunnel. While Allen has been running for his life to find an open receiver when the offensive line crumbles around him, the Bills don’t have a great established wide receiver for their rookie quarterback to rely on.
Kelvin Benjamin still has drop problems, while Zay Jones and Charles Clay seems to be lost in the mix. Granted, Allen still makes rookie mistakes with his transition to professional football. Going through his projections in a fluid motion is a learning curve that can only be taught through lots of practice and experience. The least Buffalo can do to help Allen is to give him a few more offensive weapons to lessen the growing pains.
Buffalo has $19.38 million in salary cap space to play around with. There are quite a few wide receivers who potentially can go into free agency for the 2019 season which the Bills should bid on if given the chance. Names such as Randall Cobb, Tyler Lockett and Tyrell Williams seem possible to land in Buffalo. It’s good to look towards the future, but the Bills need more depth to their roster immediately.
Maybe it’s time for Sean McDermott to call up Dez Bryant to come in and help out their young quarterback.
Bryant is still an unrestricted free agent, and the Bills have the money to negotiate a contract with him. It may sound high risk since Bryant has dealt with injuries and his performance has dipped since Tony Romo retired. Despite the concerns, Bryant is still a better receiver than any of the wideouts that Buffalo currently has to offer Josh Allen. Having a reliable go-to guy could help Allen and the offense out tremendously.
Throughout his career, Bryant has been notorious for bringing a particular attitude to the locker room. Maybe that is the type of attitude that Buffalo needs right now, though. The Bills Mafia already has a stigma of being wildly faithful. It could be time for the attitude in the Buffalo locker room to change as well. Instead of having players quit at halftime, the team should rebrand itself for being tough and expressive.
Next. NFL Week 8: Coaches on the hot seat. dark
We haven’t seen a team with that kind of infamy since the Raiders in the 80s. The Bills could own it and match the intensity that their fans provide. It could all start with bringing in the right people to create a new atmosphere. The clock is ticking if Buffalo wants to bring in the extra help and establish what type of football team they want to be.