The Buffalo Bills have been pegged as one of the NFL’s most likely buyers at the upcoming trade deadline, but one insider believes they may also have at least one prominent player to sell.
While the Bills have put together one of the league’s top passing attacks, they have failed to get much consistency out of the running game. Quarterback Josh Allen is the team’s leading rusher, and has all but one of the team’s rushing touchdowns this season — the lone exception being a 24-yard scamper from rookie James Cook in garbage time against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
SI.com’s Albert Breer believes the Bills could be primed to move one of their backup running backs at the deadline if the price is right.
Bills Backup for Sale at Deadline?
Breer noted that while the Bills are most likely looking to add players who can bolster a potential Super Bowl run, they could be willing to part with the backup to starting running back Devin Singletary.
“The Bengals and Bills are contending, but have a couple players out there who could be trade pieces—Isaiah Prince and Brandon Wilson for Cincinnati, and Zack Moss for Buffalo,” he wrote.
After a promising rookie season in which he rushed for 481 yards and four touchdowns, Moss has not been able to replicate that output in any of the two subsequent seasons. He suffered a broken ankle in the 2020 playoffs and was hampered through the early part of his sophomore season, a year in which he rushed for just 345 yards.
Moss is off to another slow start this season, with 91 rushing yards this year– 43 of which came on a single run against the Miami Dolphins.
With the Bills getting over a spate of injuries, Moss was a healthy scratch in the team’s Week 6 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, allowing the rookie Cook to serve as Singletary’s primary backup. The Bills leaned more heavily on Singletary in the last game, giving him a season-high 17 carries and five pass targets.
Moss’s Value Not Certain
While the Bills may be willing to trade Moss, it’s not clear if they would be able to find a suitor. He is still on a rookie contract so his salary would be a good fit, but his production has been steadily declining since his rookie season and is not a regular on special teams, so his utility might be limited. If the Bills do move Moss, they would likely not get anything more than a late-round draft pick in return.
There are also a number of big-name running backs that could be available at the trade deadline. The Cleveland Browns could be fielding offers for backup Kareem Hunt, the Los Angeles Rams could trade Cam Akers, and even the league’s No. 3 rushing back, Las Vegas Raiders’ standout Josh Jacobs, is reportedly a trade candidate.
There is belief among NFL teams that Kareem Hunt can be acquired for a fourth-round pick, per @JFowlerESPN and @DanGrazianoESPN
The Bills have been linked to all three of those backs. While it’s not clear if the team has actually made an offer or entered discussions on any of the trade-candidate running backs, any move to bring in support for the rushing game could make Moss redundant.
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Bills’ Backup Running Back on the Trade Block at Deadline: Insider