The Buffalo Bills are 6-1 and coming off a 36-10 blowout of the Baltimore Ravens, with Josh Allen playing like one of the best players on the planet. But their defense hasn’t kept up.
That’s why one former All-Pro wants general manager Brandon Beane to stop playing it safe before the Nov. 10 trade deadline and make an aggressive all-in move.
Andrew Whitworth, a former All-Pro offensive tackle and Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, doesn’t want to see Buffalo settle for another rental. In fact, he seemingly dared Bean to make a splash to beef up the Bills’ defense before the trade deadline.
Brandon Beane Urged to Make All-In Move
During a recent episode of his “Fitz & Whit” podcast, Whitworth didn’t hold back with how he wants to see Beane approach the trade deadline.
“I think if I’m the Buffalo Bills, the one thing I’d love to see: stop trying to rent a guy at the end (of the season),” he said. “Big swing, to me, big swing means, ‘Hey, we might be out over our skis a little bit, this might be a heavy investment, this might be a risky move, but hey let’s do it like we want to get fired because that’s how bad we want to win.’
“Like, I want this move to be like, ‘I might lose my job after it, but I went for it’ because I think that’s when you’re going to look back and go with Josh Allen — one of the greatest players on the planet — and this team, like why wouldn’t I?
“If ever there’s a time to say let’s go all in, let’s take the swing, let’s go do it. I think that, to me, is what Buffalo Bills fans and everyone that wants to see Josh Allen win it, they want to see that.”
Who Does Whitworth Have in Mind?
So, which player(s) fall into the category of a job-risking move? Well, Whitworth named a few possible trade targets.
“Is it a Maxx Crosby, is it a Khalil Mack?” he stated. “… Is it going and getting that elite young rusher, or that guy you think for the next three to four years he could produce for us at a high level. I just would love to see the Buffalo Bills say, ‘Hey, let’s put all our chips in the middle of the table and go for it.’”
It’s not the first time Whitworth has pushed a team to go get Crosby. Back in February, he urged his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to land the Raiders star at all costs.
Why the Bills Should Take a Big Swing
Buffalo’s pass-rush has been a one-man show.
Greg Rousseau, the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September, opened the season with two sacks in each of the first three games. However, the Bills had just 11 sacks as a team through six games, and six of them belonged to Rousseau.
Crosby and Mack have both been linked to Buffalo in recent weeks.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox called Crosby an “obvious target” if Beane can make the money work. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen also both tabbed the Bills as a fit for Mack, who would be the cheaper option.
Fowler pegged his price as a quality Day 3 pick, and the 35-year-old has no money owed past this season.
Crosby is the “big swing” Whitworth is talking about, but the Raiders don’t appear eager to move him after his failed trade to Baltimore this offseason. He’s on a three-year, $106 million deal, and that’s the problem: the Bills only have about $3.9 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap.
Former All-Pro Urges Bills GM Brandon Beane to Make Job-Risking Move