Should the Buffalo Bills call a division rival to discuss a trade?

Could the Buffalo Bills try to pull off a rare trade between two division rivals?

At this point of the year, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is really trying to take stock of his roster. He has the challenge of finding the best combination of 53 players out of the 80 or more players currently signed.

It is certainly not an easy task and one of the factors that he has to take into account is whether or not he can get some kind of value in return. The Buffalo Bills have one of the deeper rosters in the league which means they are going to have to cut good players. These players could be of interest to other NFL teams and instead of trying to compete with the other teams in the league, that team may be willing to offer draft picks.

There have been times this has not worked out well, like trading Wyatt Teller to the Cleveland Browns, but there have been other times that the Buffalo Bills have gotten at least something for a player unlikely to make the roster, like Russell Bodine.

Should the Buffalo Bills call the New York Jets about a trade?

The New York Jets lost defensive end Carl Lawson to a season-ending injury during practice last week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Jets are exploring all options to replace Lawson, which includes trades.

For the Buffalo Bills, they have great depth at the defensive end position and they are almost undoubtedly going to have to cut one, maybe two, good pass rushers. The play of Greg Rousseau, Efe Obada, Boogie Basham, and A.J. Epenesa should give the coaching staff confidence that this is a position that is going to be greatly improved in 2021.

The question becomes who might be the best player to offer the Jets in a trade if the Buffalo Bills are willing to entertain the idea. It is unlikely veterans Jerry Hughes or Mario Addison would be an option because of their presence in the locker room, along with their cap hits.

It would be hard to imagine any of the four previously defensive ends would also be available in a trade. This essentially leaves Darryl Johnson as the one player the Buffalo Bills could offer up in a trade.

The former seventh-round pick is on the roster bubble but has looked great in preseason. He has 1.5 sacks through the first two games and also brings value as a key special teams contributor.

Trades within the division are rare but Brandon Beane hasn’t been afraid to make them in the past. Previously I mentioned Russell Bodine as a player traded right before the season and he was actually traded to the New England Patriots.

The Buffalo Bills are going to have to make some tough decisions at the defensive end position but if they are able to get at least something in return, it could be a win for both teams.