Bills trade deadline primer: Cap space update, names to consider and more
Wide receiver and cornerback have received the most attention in terms of needing upgrades, justifiably, but linebacker and safety are right behind them on the needs list.
Recent history suggests that Brandon Beane will be a busy man ahead of the NFL trade deadline, which arrives Nov. 4.
Beane, the Bills’ ninth-year general manager, has made a deadline-adjacent deal in each of the past three seasons. He’s not been shy about upgrading his roster if he perceives any deficiencies.
Those are easy to spot right now for the Bills, who entered their bye week at 4-2, but riding a two-game losing streak that has unearthed some serious concerns about Beane’s roster construction.
Wide receiver and cornerback have received the most attention in terms of needing upgrades, justifiably, but linebacker and safety are right behind them on the needs list.
Last year, Beane acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper and a sixth-round draft pick from the Browns for third- and seventh-round picks. In 2023, he traded for cornerback Rasul Douglas, sending a third-round pick to Green Bay in exchange for Douglas and a fifth-rounder.
In 2022, Beane made a player-for-player swap, sending running back Zack Moss to Indianapolis for running back Nyheim Hines, who gave the Bills’ return game a boost. The Bills also traded for safety Dean Marlowe.
Gone are the days when the NFL trade deadline was an afterthought. According to research from ESPN, there have been 88 trades in October over the last six years, an average of nearly 15 per season. There were 18 trades made last year near the deadline.
It’s been an active start to trade season, too, with three deals completed in a week recently, including the Bengals acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco from a division rival (the Browns).
So, the smart money is on the Bills making a move, but there are plenty of factors to consider when trying to identify who will be targeted.
Cap space
Chief among those is the Bills’ space under the salary cap. Or, more precisely, lack of space. As of Friday morning, the Bills had $2.119 million of cap space, according to records kept by the NFL Players’ Association.If the Bills acquire a player for draft-pick compensation, they will need to have enough cap space to inherit his salary. Players’ base salaries are paid in the regular season in 18 installments, one for each week of the regular season, so the Bills would be on the hook for the number of weeks the player they acquired was on their roster. They also would be responsible for any per-game roster bonuses that player might be owed.
Cooper was affordable last season because his base salary was just $1.21 million, which meant acquiring him when they did left the Bills on the hook for less than $1 million.
A player’s base salary will be a big factor in the type of move the Bills can make. If he carries a big base salary, the Bills will have to either restructure one or more contracts on their current roster – which kicks the can down the road, making cap space less plentiful in future years – or send money out to clear cap space.
It’s unlikely the Bills would be able to find a taker for wide receiver Curtis Samuel and his $6.91 base salary, but perhaps they could entice a team to look at defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who is in the final year of his contract and has a base salary of $5.76 million. With Michael Hoecht returning from suspension after the bye week, the Bills have too many defensive ends. Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, Hoecht, Epenesa, Landon Jackson and Javon Solomon give them six players at the position. Trading Epenesa would open up possibilities elsewhere on the roster.
The Bills don’t have a ton of draft capital for 2026 available to deal. The team holds its own picks in the first five rounds, and also has two picks in the seventh round, one which originally belonged to the New York Jets and one that originally belonged to the Dallas Cowboys. The Bills’ original sixth-round pick went to the Jets in the trade for Brandon Codrington, while Buffalo’s original seventh-round pick went to the Browns as part of the deal for Cooper.
The Bills are not projected to receive any compensatory draft picks.
Here are some players rumored to be available, who could fit the Bills’ needs:
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, shown making a touchdown catch against the Bills on Sept. 18, could be available for trade.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed, Saints: The 27-year-old is playing on a one-year contract and has a base salary of $4.2 million, so the Bills would have to create some space. Shaheed, however, would give the Bills’ roster what it lacks: Elite deep speed. An undrafted free agent in 2022, Shaheed has at least four catches in every game this season, totaling 36 for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He would stretch the field vertically in a way that the Bills currently do not have. At 1-5, the Saints should be focused on rebuilding. They always could trade Shaheed and attempt to re-sign him after the season.Chris Olave, Saints: Olave is making $1.499 million in base salary this season, but the Saints picked up the fifth-year option on his contract for 2026 at a salary of $15.494 million. So a trade for him would be something more than a rental. There is some concern about Olave’s history with concussions. He would immediately be the Bills’ best receiver, though. A first-round pick in 2022, the 25-year-old has run 41% of his snaps this season from the slot and 59% lined up wide. That versatility is appealing. He has 39 catches for 342 yards and one touchdown. The acquisition cost here would be high.
Jakobi Meyers, Raiders: At 2-4, Las Vegas is in danger of falling out of the playoff race. Meyers requested a trade in the summer after being unable to land a contract extension. The 28-year-old has 29 catches for 329 yards this season. Both of those totals would lead the Bills. Meyers, though, has a base salary of $10.5 million, so it would take either an increased offer to the Raiders for them to retain some salary, or the Bills would have to open space some other way. It’s fair to wonder if he’d be that much of an upgrade, especially considering he’s run 62% of his snaps from the slot this season, and the Bills have Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid, who are best there.
Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins: It seems unlikely that Miami would deal Waddle to a division rival, but with a total teardown coming soon in South Florida, the possibility can’t be ruled out. Waddle, 26, has just a $1.17 million base salary this season, so the Bills would be able to afford him. He’s signed through 2028 and owed nearly $70 million, but the two sides could renegotiate that deal. Waddle has 29 catches for 390 yards and three touchdowns this season. He’d give the Bills the closest thing they have had to a true No. 1 receiver since trading Stefon Diggs ahead of the 2024 season. Waddle has lined up wide 79% of the time, which would make him a great fit for what the Bills’ offense needs. The Dolphins should be in no rush to move Waddle, but it would at least be worth a call on Beane’s part.
A.J. Brown, Eagles: Dare to dream, right? We’ll include Brown here, since it seems like the honeymoon in Philadelphia is officially over for him. Trading Brown after winning the Super Bowl, and taking on a $43 million dead cap hit next season for doing so, seems like it would be a mistake by the Eagles. If they have determined the relationship is beyond repair, though, they might have to consider it. Is Brown a malcontent? If he’s unhappy in Philadelphia, can he be happy anywhere? The cost to find out would be reasonable for the rest of this season, as Brown’s base salary is just $1.17 million. He does have more than $113 million remaining on his deal through 2029, but like with Waddle, the Bills and Brown could renegotiate that deal.
Van Jefferson, Titans: The 29-year-old has eight catches for 80 yards. He’s strictly an outside receiver, where he has taken 91% of his snaps this season. A pending unrestricted free agent, his base salary is just $1.17 million, so he’d be affordable.
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave scored a touchdown on this play against the Bills earlier this season.
Olave is rumored to be on the trade market ahead of the NFL trade deadline, which arrives Nov. 4. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Cornerback
Tariq Woolen, Seahawks: The 2022 fifth-round draft pick exploded on the scene with six interceptions as a rookie, earning him an invitation to the Pro Bowl. He’s fallen out of favor with Seattle since then, however, and was a healthy inactive last week. Woolen is huge for a cornerback at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He’d give the Bills an option opposite Christian Benford if the team determines it can no longer use Tre’Davious White in that spot and rookie first-round draft pick Maxwell Hairston still seemingly not ready to return from a knee injury suffered in training camp. Woolen, however, has some warts. He’s give up 13 completions on 18 targets this season for 183 yards and a touchdown. He is not a great tackler, which has been a huge problem for the Bills. Because of his size, he does force throws into tight windows at a high rate. The acquisition cost likely would be low, although the Bills would have to do some cap gymnastics to fit Woolen’s $5.346 million base salary. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the year.Alontae Taylor, Saints: The 26-year-old former second-round draft pick is having the best year of his career, at least according to analytics website Pro Football Focus’ grading. Taylor is versatile, having played 1,270 snaps in the slot in his career and 1,419 on the outside. He’s given up 22 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns, so teams have challenged him. Taylor is in the final year of his rookie contract and has a base salary of $3.656 million.
Safety
Geno Stone, Bengals: Cincinnati’s win over Pittsburgh might cause them to re-evaluate their season and not go into sell-off mode. If that’s not the case, Stone has been a reliable tackler this season (7.7% missed tackle rate, according to PFF) who would upgrade the Bills’ run defense. It’s hard to understate just how much Cole Bishop and especially Taylor Rapp have struggled for the Bills this season.“Watching Bills defense film from last night. Buffalo should be pursuing a safety deadline trade more aggressively than any deadline buyer of any position of the last few seasons,” ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak tweeted after Buffalo’s loss to Atlanta in Week 6.
Ouch.
Tony Adams, Jets: The 26-year-old is playing on a one-year contract for a Jets team that should absolutely sell off anything and anyone it can. Adams, who can play both in the box and deep, has been average this season, but that’s an upgrade over what the Bills have gotten from Rapp.
Nick Scott, Panthers: In 211 pass-coverage snaps, Scott has been targeted just three times. The 30-year-old has just a $1.17 million base salary. The problem is, at 3-3, the Panthers might justifiably feel like they are still very much still alive in the NFC playoff race and thus not be in a hurry to sell.
Linebacker
Demario Davis, Saints: The Bills and Saints could really be friends at the deadline. Davis, even at age 36, is playing at a high level. His overall PFF grade of 81.2 ranks eighth among all linebackers, and his run-defense grade of 90.5 is even better. He has 19 “stops,” defined as tackles that are wins for the defense given the down and distance. The Bills’ linebackers own the second-worst PFF run-defense grade so far this season. It’s been a miserable season for both Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano, when he’s been healthy enough to be on the field. Davis’ base salary of $1.3 million is affordable, too.Jordyn Brooks, Dolphins: His base salary of $7.815 million is problematic, but Brooks, 28, has missed just three tackles all season. He’s got some ability as a blitzer, with two sacks this season. He’s signed through the 2026 season.
Jamal Adams, Raiders: He’s played about 40% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps and lined up everywhere from edge rusher to slot cornerback. He’s graded out well, according to PFF, with an overall 80.0, allowing just 47 receiving yards on 70 coverage snaps. The Bills could use help at either safety or linebacker, and Adams’ acquisition cost shouldn’t be that high considering he’s 30 years old and playing on a veteran-minimum contract.
