The Buffalo Bills are off to a hot start this season, and shored up some of their early defensive struggles in last week’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bills had a slow start in their transition to new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 base scheme, giving up 31 points in each of their first two weeks. They performed better last week, giving up just 16 points to the Chargers despite having to deal with five turnovers from the offense.
One NFL analyst believes the Bills could take a big swing at improving their defense even more, naming them as a top trade candidate for a veteran defensive lineman who could be chasing a Super Bowl ring.
Bills Could Make Run at Vita Vea on Trade Block
In an article outlining the players who would benefit most from a move to a new NFL team, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested that Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Vita Vea could hit the trade block. He noted that the Buccaneers are off to a slow start and lost starting quarterback Baker Mayfield to a dislocated thumb.
That could make Vea a prime candidate to move before the NFL trade deadline, he suggested.
“The Buccaneers’ situation feels a lot different than it did just before the start of the season when Vita Vea agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract extension. That agreement came weeks after the defensive tackle requested a trade, citing his lack of a new contract,” Knox wrote.
Knox named the Bills as one of the top two landing spots for Vea, along with the San Francisco 49ers. He
“With the Buccaneers’ season trending in the wrong direction, Vea could welcome an opportunity to join a playoff contender,” Knox wrote. “He will turn 32 in February, but he remains a top-tier interior defender who could help a team pursuing a Super Bowl.”
Bills Show Strength on Defensive Line
The Bills have shown some early strength on their defensive line, especially the breakout play from Deone Walker. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted that Walker stepped up to replace Ed Oliver, who missed the team’s Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions with a hip injury and returned to limited snaps last week.
Buscaglia suggested that Walker could have a big role again this week against the New England Patriots.
“Oliver went from 82.3 percent of snaps in Week 1 to 40.6 percent of snaps in Week 3. Oliver’s snaps are likely to rise against the Patriots, though he may not be the full-time player he was in Week 1 just yet, which puts a bigger workload on Walker,” Buscaglia wrote. “And if Patriots right tackle Morgan Moses can’t play, that improves Walker’s chances of being an impact player on the inside and creates a mismatch for high-performing outside linebacker Greg Rousseau, too.”
Bills Named Trade Destination for $30 Million DT Chasing a Super Bowl Ring