Austin Ekeler appears to be available in a trade. Could the Buffalo Bills get a deal done with the Chargers?
While Monday was the beginning of free agency with the start of the legal tampering period, there was big news of a potential player being available in a trade and Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane should take note.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Chargers and Austin Ekeler have appeared to come to an impasse in their negotiations on a new deal. Schefter tweeted that Ekeler’s agent has requested permission to speak to other teams in hopes to facilitate a trade for the former Pro Bowl running back.
If the Buffalo Bills were to be interested in trading for Austin Ekeler, this would be a little more complicated that a standard trade negotiation. The reason is that a new contract would need to be finalized for Austin Ekeler.
The good news for the Bills is that this sometimes can lower the asking price from the Chargers. However, a good framework for a potential trade would be what the Carolina Panthers received for Christian McCaffrey during the season from the San Francisco 49ers, which was a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, these are three trade packages that the Buffalo Bills could offer for Austin Ekeler.
Buffalo Bills offer Ed Oliver as part of a trade for Austin Ekeler
The Buffalo Bills don’t have many draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, with only six to be exact. So if they want to get a trade done and still have some draft picks in next month’s NFL Draft, they will need to get creative.
One way they can do that is by making defensive tackle Ed Oliver available in a trade. The former first round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and so far has been very inconsistent.
He has certainly shown flashes of why the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the Top 10 and how he can take a game over. A perfect example was against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving when he had four tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one safety.
However, the Chargers would need to be confident that Oliver could make a pretty significant shift from being a three-tech defensive tackle to playing defensive end in their 3-4 defense. Oliver certainly has the athleticism to make such a move but if the Chargers aren’t confident, then this is one trade package that doesn’t get it done.
Buffalo Bills send two second round picks as part of a trade for Austin Ekeler
The Los Angeles Chargers need help on their defensive line and if the Chargers don’t believe Ed Oliver would fit, then a player like Boogie Basham could be included in a trade offer for Austin Ekeler.
Boogie Basham was a second round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL Draft but hasn’t really been able to carve out a bigger role in this defense with 39% of the defensive snaps in his first two seasons in the league. He has only 37 total tackles, eight QB hits, and 4.5 sacks in 23 games.
While the Buffalo Bills play a 4-3 defense, Boogie Basham has the size to play defensive end in a 3-4 defensive front at 6’3″ and 281 pounds. He will be asked to take up space but also could line up closer to the quarterback over the offensive tackle versus outside the tackle, which could help his pass rushing numbers.
The addition of Boogie Basham, while potentially a better fit than Ed Oliver in the Chargers’ defense, probably would mean the Bills have to increase their draft pick compensation and that is why I included two second round picks, with one this year and one next.
Buffalo Bills send first round pick, three picks total to Chargers for Austin Ekeler
In the end, the Los Angeles Chargers are probably going to want draft picks for Austin Ekeler and a first round pick is probably going to be needed to get a deal done. The Buffalo Bills do have their first round pick still available in the 2023 NFL Draft which is the 27th pick.
Brandon Beane has shown he is not afraid to trade this pick if he believes a player can transform their team, which is exactly what happened when Buffalo sent their first round pick, along with a number of other picks, to the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs.
The addition of Austin Ekeler would have a similar impact on this offense as it gives Buffalo an elite running back who has had back-to-back seasons with 900+ rushing yards and double-digit rushing touchdowns. He also is arguably the best receiving running back in the league with 389 career receptions including 107 receptions just last season.
There is always a risk with running backs quickly declining as they get closer to 30 years old however Austin Ekeler didn’t have a big workload early in his career. At 28 years old, Austin Ekeler probably still has three or four more years ahead of him playing like one of the best running backs in the league and there is no question the Buffalo Bills offense would be much more dynamic.