The Buffalo Bills are Super Bowl favorites because of quarterback Josh Allen, running back James Cook, and head coach Joe Brady’s No. 4-ranked offense.
But as good as the Bills have been offensively, they’re equally as awful on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo has surrendered at least 29 points in each of its last three games — a worrying trend for a team with Super Bowl ambitions.
The NFL trade deadline is just two weeks away, and many analysts believe the Bills need to address its porous secondary.
Christian Benford, Dee Alford, Maxwell Hairston, and Davison Igbinosun have combined to allow 9 touchdowns, a 108.1 passer rating against, and a 61.9 completion percentage against through seven games, which is why NFL insider Jason La Canfora thinks there’s one trade the team should be pursuing.
Bills Get Much-Needed Secondary Help in Trade Pitch
La Canfora recently named six NFL teams looking to upgrade at the trade deadline, and the Bills were one of them.
According to La Canfora, who stated these trade pitches came straight from NFL executives, Buffalo could be interested in Tennessee Titans $60 million cornerback Alontae Taylor.
“The Titans love them some drama and deciding to bench their best corner, who they just signed to a $20M/year deal, six weeks into his tenure there, is right on brand,” La Canfora wrote.
“Buffalo desperately needs to address serious issues on the back end; they don’t have really three NFL quality boundary corners, and Taylor was very good with the Saints. Weird time to rework a brand new free-agent deal for a trade, but Buffalo GM Brandon Beane is quite good, and there are not many corners who could get dealt.”
Taylor was a healthy scratch in Week 6 — a move that suddenly has his name being thrown out in trade rumors with seemingly every CB-needy team.
The 27-year-old CB can play outside or in the slot. That versatility would be invaluable to a Buffalo secondary that’s struggled to lock players into certain roles.
More Bills-Alontae Taylor Smoke
La Canfora isn’t the only one connecting Taylor to Buffalo.
John Green of Bills On SI also made the case for why the Bills should target Taylor, who was considered by many to be the best cornerback available in free agency back in March.
“Taylor is a fit for (defensive coordinator Jim) Leonard’s defensive needs,” Green wrote. “Taylor’s skill set appears much better suited for the nickel cornerback position, which is where he primarily played for the New Orleans Saints during his first four years in the league.
“After signing with the Titans prior to this season, Tennessee surprisingly moved him to an outside corner role. So it’s not hard to see why there might be a disconnect between the 27-year-old’s past success and his failures with his new AFC South squad.
“At his stellar size, Taylor is a physical player who seems more comfortable playing closer to the quarterback and near the line of scrimmage where he can be an asset to a team in both the run and the pass game.”
Bills Trade Pitch Lands Team $60 Million CB to Save Struggling Defense