4 moves for the Buffalo Bills to keep pace with the AFC West this offseason

Buffalo Bills trade for Danielle Hunter

The AFC West has an excellent group of quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and the newest addition, Russell Wilson. Prior to the Broncos trade, the focus for general manager Brandon Beane was to improve the pass rush but that need is only magnified.

The Buffalo Bills have invested in the position by drafting A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, and Boogie Basham for the past two years with Rousseau showing the most promise last year. However, they aren’t quite at the level to be that number one pass rusher this defense needs.

Last year, the Bills had veterans like Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, and while they were productive they also can’t be relied upon as a consistent threat to get to the quarterback. Both players are set to be free agents and it remains to be seen if they are returning.

This is why a trade for Danielle Hunter could be a great move, although it is a move that certainly comes with risk. He would start his career with double-digit sacks in three of his first five years and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2019.

However, a neck injury forced him to miss the entire 2020 season and when he returned last year he looked like he didn’t miss a step with six sacks in seven games. Hunter’s season was cut short again by injury, this time a torn pec, and durability should be a concern for Buffalo.

In addition, there are some questions surrounding his contract as he has a cap hit of over $26 million this year and only two years on his current deal. If the Buffalo Bills are able to find reasonable compensation for the Vikings, along with a restructured contract for Hunter, this could be a great addition for this defense and drastically improve the pass rush.