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The Buffalo Bills could be ready to go all-in on their Super Bowl run this season, and one insider believes they could target a high-priced rental player to help get them there.
The Bills are the league’s best passing team this season, leading the rest of the pack by a significant margin. Quarterback Josh Allen leads the league with 1,651 passing yards, and has 14 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
But the Bills have struggled on the ground, as they did for much of last season. The team has just one rushing touchdown from a running back, which came from rookie James Cook in garbage time of last week’s 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Allen is the team’s top rusher with 225 yards, while the team’s three primary running backs have combined for 351 rushing yards.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests that the Bills could target a trade to give their ground game a significant boost while shedding one of their struggling running backs.
Bills Aim for League’s Top Running Back
Barnwell broke down some trades that could help put the Bills over the top this season, leading with a deal that would send New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley to Buffalo. He speculated that Barkley’s punishing rushing style could exploit teams that try to use light boxes and two-high alignments in the hopes of preventing big plays from Allen.
Barnwell suggested that the Bills would send a 2023 second-round pick and running back Zack Moss in exchange for Barkley and a 2023 seventh-round pick. Moss has struggled over the last two seasons. He has just 17 carries for 91 yards, with a large chunk of that coming on a 43-yard run.
He added that the former Rookie of the Year could come at a reasonable price for the Bills, as he’s an impending free agent and the Giants may want to squeeze some value before he walks out the door. It could also mean the Bills get a pick back if Barkley picks another team next offseason.
“Barkley is a free agent after the season, which also plays in Buffalo’s favor, since it would likely recoup a compensatory pick for him if he leaves in free agency,” Barnwell wrote. “The Bills would be renting Barkley for a second-rounder before landing what would likely be a fourth-round pick in 2024.”
Fast Star from Former Bills Coach May Complicate Trade
The Bills already have a strong pipeline to the Giants, who hired Buffalo’s offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their head coach and former Bills executive Joe Schoen as their general manager. The Giants have also signed a number of former Bills players this season.
But the team’s fast start under Daboll could throw a wrench in any trade plans. The 4-1 Giants are in the thick of the playoff race, and will likely remain so by the October 31 trade deadline. Their fast start comes in large part thanks to Barkley, who has a league-leading 676 yards from scrimmage.
Barkley also seems very invested in the Giants’ success this season, saying he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.
“I’m all about finding ways to win games. I really don’t care about the individual stats,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m a big believer in that’s all going to take care of itself. If I continue to have the right mindset and the right work ethic and continue to do the things that I’ve been able to do – that’s going to take care of itself. Whatever I can do to help the team win games.”