The Buffalo Bills have some injury issues. And, given the way the Super Bowl-hopeful roster has performed in recent weeks, maybe the Bills have personnel issues as well.
Is that enough to make Buffalo a "buyer'' as the NFL trade deadline of Oct. 31 approaches?
ESPN (paywall) and Bill Barnwell have assembled a list of supposedly "realistic'' trades that make sense in the coming days. Among those, he is proposing that the Bills make a bid on Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks to help fill the void left by Matt Milano’s injury.
Barnwell, to be very precise here, isn't pretending that subbing for Milano is an easy task. He writes: “Milano is (virtually) irreplaceable ... the Bills sorely need a veteran in the middle of the field.''
Barnwell acknowledges the fact that Buffalo re-signed A.J. Klein, 32, in the wake of the Milano injury. But ... he is proposing that the Bills could acquire Hicks with a 2024 fifth-round draft pick.
What about the money? It is noted that the player owed just $2.5 million in prorated money for the remainder of the season. What about the "system fit''? Barnwell writes that Hicks, 31, "has bounced around the league while starting for the Eagles, Cardinals and Vikings, giving him experience in a range of systems.''
We might wonder if the Vikings are "sellers'' or maybe more in wait-and-see limbo regarding how their season might go. But Buffalo as a "buyer''? All things considered, philosophically, that makes sense.
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