Buffalo Bills need another edge rusher more than ever after Aaron Rodgers trade

Von Miller’s timetable is still not set in stone, and now the Buffalo Bills have to deal with Aaron Rodgers at least twice in 2023.

Monday afternoon, the trade finally happened. Everyone had been waiting for what seemed like forever, but the Green Bay Packers shipped Rodgers off to the New York Jets in a deal including a few draft picks.

Now, the Jets go into the 2023 campaign with Rodgers under center and some weapons around him, with the 2023 NFL Draft still to go and some picks to work with, still.

For the Bills, this trade hurts. It’s been their division to lose for a couple of years now, ever since Tom Brady left the New England Patriots. Now, they get another future Hall of Fame quarterback to deal with for, at least, another year.

It is imperative, now, that the Bills somehow come away with a starting-caliber edge rusher in this year’s draft.

Aaron Rodgers’ arrival to the AFC East shines a light on the Buffalo Bills’ need at edge rusher

Without Miller, the Bills’ defense depended heavily on Gregory Rousseau last year, along with Matt Milano. But, beyond those two guys, the pass rush was inconsistent. And, Milano isn’t a full-time pass rusher. He does some of his best work in coverage.

Buffalo is going to be without Miller for the entire offseason, more than likely, and potentially a decent amount of this coming season after he tore his ACL back in November.

The organization has a few other key needs that must be addressed, but with the way the quarterback play has exploded in the AFC, and now that Rodgers is a Jet, this team has to go out and find a way to draft a pass rusher in the first two rounds.

At number 27 overall, the Bills could find themselves looking at a couple of different names. Those include Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness, Georgia’s Nolan Smith, Iowa State’s Will McDonald IV or even Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

If they waited until the second round, Buffalo might be looking any names like this at no. 59: Army’s Andre Carter, Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey or Missouri’s Isaiah McGuire.

The bottom line? Rodgers’ arrival in New York should put the Bills on red alert. Edge rusher was already a need, but now it’s a non-negotiable. Brandon Beane must come away with a starter at the position.